Page last updated Wed 05 Feb 2020

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Image from Wikipedia.
Kingdom Animalia (animals)

This page is a higher classification overview of freshwater, non-parasite, non-insect, invertebrate animal diversity.

Traditionally, the subject of zoology has been partitioned among various specialties: the vertebrate classes (ichthyology, herpetology, ornithology, and mammalogy), insects and other terrestrial arthropods (entomology), parasites (parasitology), and everything else (invertebrate zoology). The WInvertebrates project is aimed in particular at the freshwater taxa of the “everything else” group. Some parasites belonging to otherwise free-living taxa are also included, as well as terrestrial representatives of non-arthropod invertebrate phyla.

Bilaterial eumetazoans in general are divided among two superphyla: Protostomia and Deuterostomia. With the exceptions of two species in the phylum Xenacoelomorpha, the freshwater invertebrate phyla are classified in the former.

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Bibliography

  • Zhang, Z.-Q. 2011. Animal biodiversity: An introduction to higher-level classification and taxonomic richness. Zootaxa 3148: 7-12. [Available online]
  • J.H. Thorp & A.P. Covich (eds.). 2010. Ecology and Classification of North American Freshwater Invertebrates, 3rd edition. 1021 pp.
  • Chapman, A.D. 2009. Numbers of living species in Australia and the world. Report for the Australian Biological Resources Study, Canberra, Australia. 80 pp. [Available online]
  • Smith, D.G. 2001. Pennak's Freshwater Invertebrates of the United States, 4th edition. 638 pp.
  • W.T. Edmondson (ed.). 1959. Ward & Whipple Fresh-Water Biology, 2nd edition. 1248 pp.

Web Pages

Classification of Freshwater Taxa

Only taxa found in North America are listed. Formatting indicates if they are known (to us) from North America, the midwestern states or Wisconsin.

Kingdom Animalia (animals) [details]
  .   Subkingdom Eumetazoa [details]
  .    .   clade Bilateria [details]
  .    .    .   Superphylum Deuterostomia [details]
  .    .    .    .   Phylum Chordata [detail]
  .    .    .   clade Protostomia [details]
  .    .    .    .   Superphylum Ecdysozoa [details]
  .    .    .    .    .   Phylum Arthropoda [details]
  .    .    .    .    .    .   Subphylum Chelicerata [details]
  .    .    .    .    .    .    .   Class Arachnida (spiders, mites, scorpions, etc.) [Go to Classification Page]
  .    .    .    .    .    .   Subphylum Crustacea [details]
  .    .    .    .    .    .    .   Class Branchiopoda (water fleas, tadpole shrimp, fairy shrimp, clam shrimp) [Go to Classification Page]
  .    .    .    .    .    .    .   Class Malacostraca [details]
  .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .   Subclass Eumalacostraca [details]
  .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .   Superorder Eucarida [details]
  .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .   Order Decapoda (crabs, crayfishes, shrimps) [Go to Classification Page]
  .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .   Superorder Peracarida (scuds, sow bugs) [Go to Classification Page]
  .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .   Superorder Syncarida [Go to Classification Page]
  .    .    .    .    .    .    .   Class Maxillopoda [details]
  .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .   Subclass Branchiura (fish lice) [Go to Classification Page]
  .    .    .    .    .    .    .    .   Subclass Copepoda [Go to Classification Page]
  .    .    .    .    .    .    .   Class Ostracoda (seed shrimp) [Go to Classification Page]
  .    .    .    .    .    .   Subphylum Hexapoda [details]
  .    .    .    .    .    .    .   Class Insecta [detail]
  .    .    .    .    .   Phylum Nematoda (roundworms) [Go to Classification Page]
  .    .    .    .    .   Phylum Nematomorpha (horsehair worms, gordian worms) [Go to Classification Page]
  .    .    .    .    .   Phylum Tardigrada (water bears) [Go to Classification Page]
  .    .    .    .   clade Spiralia [details]
  .    .    .    .    .   Superphylum Lophotrochozoa [details]
  .    .    .    .    .    .   Phylum Annelida (segmented worms) [Go to Classification Page]
  .    .    .    .    .    .   Phylum Bryozoa (+ Ectoprocta) (moss animals) [Go to Classification Page]
  .    .    .    .    .    .   Phylum Mollusca [details]
  .    .    .    .    .    .    .   Class Bivalvia (+ Pelecypoda) (mussels, clams) [Go to Classification Page]
  .    .    .    .    .    .    .   Class Gastropoda (+ Prosobranchia) (snails, slugs) [Go to Classification Page]
  .    .    .    .    .    .   Phylum Nemertea (ribbon worms, proboscis worms) [Go to Classification Page]
  .    .    .    .    .    .   Phylum Entoprocta (banded moss animals) [Go to Classification Page]
  .    .    .    .    .   Superphylum Platyzoa [details]
  .    .    .    .    .    .   Phylum Gastrotricha (gastrotrichs, hairy backs) [Go to Classification Page]
  .    .    .    .    .    .   Superphylum Gnathifera [details]
  .    .    .    .    .    .    .   Phylum Rotifera (+ Rotatoria) (rotifers, wheel animals) [Go to Classification Page]
  .    .    .    .    .    .   Phylum Platyhelminthes (flatworms) [Go to Classification Page]
  .    .   Superphylum Radiata [details]
  .    .    .   Phylum Cnidaria (+ Coelenterata) (hydroids, jellyfish, anemones, corals, etc.) [Go to Classification Page]
  .   Subkingdom Parazoa [details]
  .    .   Phylum Porifera (sponges) [Go to Classification Page]

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