Taxonomic Classification of Marine Organisms (Garrison T, Oceanography: An Invitation to Marine Science, 5th edition, Appendix VI, pp. 475-476)

Exclusively nonmarine phyla generally have been omitted, along with most extinct phyla and classes. KINGDOM BACTERIA: Single-celled prokaryotes with a single chromosome that reproduce asexually and exhibit high metabolic diversity. KINGDOM ARCHAEA: Superficially similar to bacteria, but with genes capable of producing different kinds of enzymes. Often live in extreme environments. KINGDOM PROTISTA: Eukaryotic single-celled, colonial, and multicellular autotrophs and heterotrophs.

PHYLUM CHRYSOPHYTA. Diatoms, coccolithophores, silicoflagellates. PHYLUM PYRROPHYTA. Dinoflagellates, zooxanthellae. PHYLUM CRYPTOPHYTA. Some “microflagellates”; cryptomonads. PHYLUM EUGLENOPHYTA. A few “microflagellates”; mostly freshwater. PHYLUM ZOOMASTIGINA. Nonphotosynthesizing flagellated protozoa. PHYLUM SARCODINA. Amoebas and their relatives.

Class Rhizopodea. Foraminiferans. Class Actinopodea. Radiolarians.

PHYLUM CILIOPHORA. Ciliated protozoa. PHYLUM CHLOROPHYTA. Multicellular green algae. PHYLUM PHAEOPHYTA. Brown algae, kelps. PHYLUM RHODOPHYTA. Red algae, encrusting and coralline forms.

KINGDOM FUNGI: Fungi, mushrooms, molds, lichens; mostly land, freshwater, or hightest supratidal organisms; heterotrophic. KINGDOM PLANTAE: Photosynthetic autotrophs.

DIVISION ANTHOPHYTA. Flowering plants (angiosperms). Most species are freshwater or terrestrial. Marine eelgrass, manatee grass, surfgrass, turtle grass, salt marsh grasses, mangroves.

KINGDOM ANIMALIA: Multicellular heterotrophs.

PHYLUM PLACOZOA. Amoeba-like multicellular animals. PHYLUM MESOZOA. Worm-like parasites of cephalopods. PHYLUM PORIFERA. Sponges. PHYLUM CNIDARIA. Jellyfish and their kin; all are equipped with stinging cells.

Class Hydrozoa. Polyp-like animals that often have a medusa-like stage in their life cycle, such as Portuguese man-of-war. Class Scyphozoa. Jellyfish with no (or reduced) polyp stage in life cycle. Class Cubozoa. Sea wasps. Class Anthozoa. Sea anemones, coral.

PHYLUM CTENOPHORA. ”Sea gooseberries”, comb jellies; round, gelatinous, predatory, common. PHYLUM PLATYHELMINTHES. Flatworms, tapeworms, flukes; many free-living predatory forms, many parasites. PHYLUM NEMERTEA. Ribbon worms. PHYLUM GNATHOSTOMULIDA. Microscopic, worm-like; live between grains in marine sediments. PHYLUM GASTROTICHA. Microscopic, ciliated; live between grains in marine sediments. PHYLUM ROTIFERA. Ciliated; common in fresh water, in plankton, and attached to benthic objects. PHYLUM KINORYNCHA. Small, spiny, segmented, worm-like; live between grains in marine sediments; all marine. PHYLUM ACANTHOCEPHALA. Spiny-headed worms; all parasitic in vertebrate intestines.

PHYLUM ENTOPROCTA. Polyp-like, small, benthic suspension feeders. PHYLUM NEMATODA. Roundworms. Common, free-living, parasitic. PHYLUM BRYOZOA. Common, small, encrusting colonial marine forms. PHYLUM PHORONIDA. Shallow-water tube worms; suspension feeders; a few centimeters long; all marine. PHYLUM BRACHIOPODA. Lampshells; bivalve animals, superficially like clams; scarce, mainly in deep water. PHYLUM MOLLUSCA. Mollusks.

Class Monoplacophora. Rare deep-water forms with limpet-like shells. Class Polyplacophora. Chitons. Class Aplacophora. Shell-less; sand burrowing. Class Gastropoda. Snails, limpets, abalones, sea slugs, pteropods. Class Bivalvia. Clams, oysters, scallops, mussels, shipworms. Class Cephalopoda. Squid, octopuses, nautiluses. Class Scaphopoda. Tooth shells.

PHYLUM ARTHROPODA. Subphylum Crustacea. Copepods, barnacles, krill, isopods, amphipods, shrimp, lobsters, crabs. Subphylum Chelicerata. Horseshoe crabs, sea spiders. Subphylum Uniramia. Insects, centipedes, millipedes; one genus and give species in the ocean.

PHYLUM PRIAPULIDA. Small, rare, worm-like, subtidal. PHYLUM SIPUNCULA. Peanut worms; all marine. PHYLUM ECHIURA. Spoon worms. PHYLUM ANNELIDA. Segmented worms; includes polychaetes such as feather duster worms and some oligochaete deep-sea bristle worms. PHYLUM TARDIGRATA. “Water bears”; tiny, eight-legged animals with the ability to survive long periods of hibernation. PHYLUM PENTASTOMA. Tongue worms; parasites of vertebrates. PHYLUM POCONOPHORA. Beard worms; no digestive system; deep-water tube worms; all marine. PHYLUM ECHINODERMATA. Spiny-skinned, benthic, radially symmetrical, most with a water-vascular system.

Class Asteroidea. Sea stars. Class Ophiuroidea. Brittle stars, basket stars. Class Echinoidea. Sea urchins, sand dollars, sea biscuits. Class Holothuroidea. Sea cucumbers. Class Crinoidea. Sea lilies, feather stars. Class Concentricycloidea. Sea daisies.

PHYLUM CHAETOGNATHA. Arrowworms; stiff-bodied, planktonic, predaceous, common. PHYLUM HEMICHORDATA. Acorn worms; unsegmented burrowers. PHYLUM CHORDATA.

Subphylum Urochordata. Sea squirts, tunicates, salps. Subphylum Cephalochordata. Lancelets, Amphioxus. Subphylum Vertebrata.

Class Agnatha. Jawless fishes: lampreys, hagfishes; cartilaginous skeleton. Class Chondrichthyes. Sharks, skates, rays, sawfish, chimaeras; cartilaginous skeleton. Class Osteichthyes. Bony fishes. Class Amphibia. Frogs, toads, salamanders; no marine species. Class Reptilia. Sea snakes, turtles, one species of crocodile. Class Aves. The birds.

Order Sphenisciformes. Penguins. Order Procellariformes. Albatrosses, petrels. Order Charadriiformes. The gulls. Order Pelecaniformes. The pelicans.

Class Mammalia. Warm-blooded, with hair and mammary glands. Order Cetacea. Whales, porpoises, dolphins. Order Sirenia. Manatees. Order Carnivora. Two marine families.

Suborder Pinnipedia. Seals, sea lions, walruses. Suborder Fissipedia. Sea otters.

Order Primates. One family that regularly enters the ocean. Family Hominidae. Humans.

MARINE ANIMALS IN BRIEF – Ocean 101 (BCC)

Group: Zooplankton

Characteristics: floating or drifting organisms (some have limited motion ability); feed on phytoplankton or smaller zooplankton; range in size from microscopic (protozoa) to up to several meters (jellyfish); some species spend their whole life as zooplankton (holo-plankton), others only in their larval stage (mero-plankton); often exhibit a pronounced daily vertical migration cycle

Phyla Represented: virtually all animal phyla, but most prominently the following: Protozoa (Kingdom Protista); Cnidaria; Mollusca; Arthropoda (subphylum Crustacea - dominant group in zooplankton)

Examples:

Protozoa -- Radiolaria, Foraminifera

Cnidaria -- Jellyfish

Mollusca -- Pteropods (tiny "winged snails")

Arthropoda -- Shrimp, Copepods (most numerous)

Group: Primitive Invertebrates

Characteristics: many live on or near the bottom, but some are free-swimming; often are suspension feeders; usually have no (or very primitive) digestive, excretory, and circulatory systems; some have tentacles or stinging cells; range in size from about 1 cm to several m.

Phyla Represented: Porifera; Cnidaria; Platyhelminthes; Nematoda; Annelida

Examples:

Porifera -- Sponges

Cnidaria -- Sea Anemones, Coral

Platyhelminthes -- Flatworms, Tapeworms

Nematoda -- Roundworms

Annelida -- Polychaetes, Lugworms, Sandworms

Group: Advanced Invertebrates

Characteristics: most numerous of marine animal species; includes both benthic and pelagic organisms, almost all have some form of mobility; many exhibit planktonic larval stages; some graze on marine plants, some are suspension feeders, some are predators, some are scavengers; have well-developed digestive and nervous systems; variety of shells (CaCO3), exoskeletons (chitin), and spines for protection

Phyla Represented: Mollusca; Arthropoda; Echinodermata; Urochordata

Examples:

Mollusca -- Gastropods (Snails, Limpets, Abalones) Bivalves (Clams, Oysters, Mussels) Cephalopods (Octopus, Squid)

Arthropoda (Subphylum Crustacea) -- Lobsters, Shrimp, Crabs

Echinodermata -- Sea Stars, Sea Urchins, Sand Dollars, Sea Cucumbers

Urochordata – Sea Squirts, Tunicates

Group: Vertebrates

Characteristics: animals that have an internal skeleton of calcified bone or cartilage; range in size from a few mm to over 30 m; largest sub-group is fish, then birds, marine mammals, reptiles; generally the largest, most mobile, and most intelligent animals in the sea; includes filter-feeders, grazers (herbivores), and carnivores; includes ectotherms (most fish, reptiles) and endotherms (birds, marine mammals); oxygen uptake by gills (fish) and lungs (reptiles, birds, mammals)

Phyla Represented: Chordata (Sub-phylum Vertebrata) (Same as humans!!)

Classes Represented: Agnatha (jawless, finless fish); Chondrichthyes (cartilaginous fish); Osteichthyes (bony fish); Amphibia (amphibians); Reptilia (reptiles); Aves (birds); Mammalia (mammals)

Examples:

Class Agnatha -- Hagfish, Lamprey

Class Chondrichthyes -- Sharks, Rays

Class Osteichthyes -- Herring, Cod, Halibut, Tuna, Salmon

Class Amphibia -- Frogs, Salamanders, Toads

Class Reptilia -- Sea Turtles, Sea Snakes, Crocodiles (marine)

Class Aves -- Albatross, Pelicans, Gulls, Penguins

Class Mammalia -- Whales & Dolphins (Cetaceans) Seals, Sea Lions, Walruses (Pinnipeds) Manatees, Dugongs (Sirenians)