Species and Class

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Biology Summaries

Biology Summary - Taxonomy

Here is a brief summary classification table of all currently living things -
about one million animal species, and about one-half million plant species.



Biology Facts -
The vast majority of all living animal species are insects.
There are way more beetle species than you can shake a stick at - hundreds of thousands.
Greater than 99% of all species that have ever lived have been extinct for millions of years.
To study biological classification further, buy a biology textbook.

Biology - Summary of Living Species
Classification System (taxonomy) :

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Kingdom

Phylum

Class

Order

Family

Genus

Species

Kind (race)

animal

vertebrate

mammal

primate

hominid

homo

sapiens

caucasian

3 kingdoms

21 phylums

~1K classes

~3K orders

~10K families

~100K genera

~1.0M species

~10M kinds


  The Animal Kingdom

  (Phyla listed by
descending size)

Phylum

  (Classes listed by
descending size)

Class

Est.
Living
Species

  Orders

 Animalia

Arthropoda

(920,000 species)

(external skeleton)

Insecta

820,000

27 orders -

350,000

Coleoptera (beetles)

165,000

Lepidoptera (moths, butterflies)

120,000

Diptera (flies and mosquitos)

103,000

Hymenoptera (wasps, ants, bees)

(spiders, mites, ticks)

Arachnida

60,000

10 orders

(crab, lobster, shrimp)

Crustacea

26,000

Decapoda, Copepoda, Isopoda

(millipedes)

Diplopoda

10,000

16 orders

6,000

Hemiptera (true BUGS)

(centipedes)

Chilopoda

3,000

5 orders

Mollusca

(50,000 species)

(abalone, slug, snail)

Gastropoda

35,000

__ orders

(octopus, squid)

Cephalopoda

700

2 orders (subclass=Coleoidea)

(clam,muscle,oyster,scallop)

Pelecypoda (bivalves)

__ orders

(chiton)

Amphineura

700

Polyplacophora- 600, Aplacophora- 100

 

Chordata (Vertebrata)

(42,000 species)

(cartilaginous fish)

Chondrichthyes

12,000

__ orders

(birds)

Aves

9,000

9 orders

(snakes, lizards, turtles)

Reptilia

6,000

Chelonia, Crocodilia, Squamata

(mammals)

Mammalia

4,500

12 orders (man, apes, monkeys)

(frogs, salamanders)

Amphibia

2,500

3 orders (Caudata, Anure, Apoda)

(bony fish, eels)

Osteichthyes

3,000

__ orders

 

Platyhelminthes (flatworms)

(18,000 species)

(flukes)

Trematoda

9,000

Parasites (Monogenea, Digenia)

(tapeworm)

Cestoda

5,000

Parasites - up to 50 feet long

(planarians)

Turbellaria

4,500

12 orders

 

Nematoda (roundworms)

(10,000 species)

(also called Aschelminthes)

Nematoda

5,000

Gastrotricha

3,000

(wheelheaded worms)

Rotifera

2,000

 

Annelida

(10,000 species)

(bristle worms)

Polychaeta

8,000

(sand worms)

(earthworms)

Oligochaeta

2,200

(leeches)

Hirudinea

500

 

Cnidaria (jellyfish, coral)

(Coelenterata)

5,300

Hydrozoa, Scyphozoa, Anthozoa

 

Porofera (sponges)

4,800

Calcarea, Hexactinellida, Demospongiae

 

Ectoprocta (bryozoans)

3,500

(moss-animal)

 

Nemertinia (ribbonworms)

800

(marine worms)

 

Acantho-cephala

500

(spineheaded worms)

926,500

Est. total living ANIMAL species


  The Middle Kingdom

  (Phyla listed by
descending size)

Phylum

  (Classes listed by
descending size)

Class

Est.
Living
Species

  Orders

Protista

Protozoa (single-cell)

(12,000 species)

(flagellates)

Mastigophora (algae)

3,000

phytoflagellates, dinoflagellates

(ameboid forms)

Sarcodina

3,000

radiolarians, foramini-ferans

(spore formers)

Sporozoa

3,000

(parasitic protozoans)

(cilates)

Ciliophora

3,000

(hairpropulsion) (Paramecium)

 

Chrysophyta (diatoms)

(10,000 species)

10,000

 

Monera

Schizophyta

(20,000 species)

(bacteria)

(rod-shaped)

bacillis

5,000

(schizomycetes ?)

(round)

coccus, streptoccus

5,000

(spiral)

spirilium

5,000

aerobic vs. anaerobic,

enzyme and amino acid production

(blue-green algae)

Cyano-phyceae

5,000

(cyanobacteria)

Virii

(na) 6 classes

(2,000 species)

2,000

1 dsDNA, 2 ssDNA, 3 dsRNA, 4 +sense

5 -sense RNA, 6 RNA rev., 7 DNA rev.

44,000

Est. total living "mid" species

 

 

  The Plant Kingdom

  Phylum

  Class

Est.
Living
Species

  Orders

Thallobionta (thallophytes)

Magnoliophyta

(240,000 species)

(Anthophyta)

(flowers)

Magnoliopsida

200,000

(dicotyle - 2 seed leaves)

Families: aster, bluebell, buttercup,
gentian, grape, heather, maple,
mustard, pea, rose, willow

(grasses)

Liliopsida

40,000

(monocotyle - 1 seed leaf)

Families: amaryllis, arum, banana, corn,
crocus, grass, lily, orchid, palm, sedge

 

Eumycophyta (fungi)

(74,000 species)

(true fungi)

(bread molds)

Phycomycetes

20,000

(yeasts)

Ascomycetes

20,000

(mushrooms)

Basidiomycetes

20,000

Deuteromycetes

20,000

 

Polypodiophyta (ferns)

(10,000 species)

10,000

(Polypodiopsida)

 

Chlorophyta (green algae)

(10,000 species)

10000

 

Pinophyta (conifers)

( 700 species)

700

(Gymnosperms) (4 classes)

 

Myxomycophyta

( 500 species)

500

(slime mold)

 

Embryobionta (gametophytes)

Bryophyta (fungi)

(24,000 species)

(mosses)

Bryopsida

18,000

(liverworts)

Marchantiopsida

3,000

(hornworts)

Anthocerotopsida

3,000

365,000

Est. total living PLANT species

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This Vaughns 1-Pagers Biology Book Taxonomy Summary web page was updated on 2007-05-10.