Phylum Chordata

These are animals which at some stage in their life-cycle having had a notochord or spinal column, gill-slits, and post-anal tail. It includes humans and other vertebrates.  There are 14 classes, often in three subphyla:

  1. Subphylum Cephalochordata1 — Lancelets
    1. Class Leptocardii — Lancelets
  2. Subphylum Tunicata1 — Tunicates
    1. Class Appendicularia — Pelagic Tunicates
    2. Class Ascidiacea — Sea Squirts
    3. Class Thaliacea — Thaliaceans
  3. Subphylum Vertebrata1 — Vertebrates
    1. Class Actinopterygii — Ray-finned Fishes
    2. Class Amphibia — Amphibians
    3. Class Aves — Birds
    4. Class Cephalaspidomorphi2 — Lampreys
    5. Class Elasmobranchii — Elasmobranchs
    6. Class Holocephali — Chimaeras
    7. Class Mammalia — Mammals
    8. Class Myxini2 — Hagfishes
    9. Class Reptilia — Reptiles
    10. Class Sarcopterygii — Lobe-finned Fishes

1 NBN Atlas and iNaturalist subdivide Chordata into the three subphyla shown, CoL and BOLD do not.
2 iNaturalist include these in a superclass Agnatha —Jawless Fishes