Deuterostome
Deuterostomes are a nephrozoan superphylum of bilaterian animals, a taxon above the level of phylum. It is not part of the usual system of classification.
| Deuterostomia Temporal range: late Ediacaran – Recent | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A sea cucumber | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Clade: | Nephrozoa |
| Superphylum: | Deuterostomia Grobben, 1908 |
| Phyla and clades | |
| |
They are bilateral animals, and are contrasted with the protostomes. Deuterostomes are distingued by their embryo: in deuterostomes, the first opening (the blastopore) becomes the anus, while in protostomes it becomes the mouth.
Classification
These are the living phyla of deuterostomes:
- Chordata (vertebrates and their kin)
- Echinodermata (starfishes, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, etc.)
- Hemichordata (acorn worms and possibly graptolites)
This is an extinct deuterostome clade:
- Saccorhytida
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