The Lophotrochozoa ("crest-bearing animals") are a group of animals above the level of phylum. It is not part of the usual system of classification. They were recently discovered through molecular phylogeny.[1] They include two of the most successful animal phyla, the Mollusca and Annelida.
Groups
The Lophotrochozoa comprise two groups, the trochozoans and the Lophophorata. The exact relationships between the different phyla are not entirely certain. However, it seems that neither the lophophorates nor the trochozoa are monophyletic groups by themselves, but are mixed together.[2]
- The Lophophorata are united by the presence of a lophophore, a fan of ciliated tentacles surrounding the mouth. Some authors considered them deuterostomes, before RNA trees placed them together with the trochozoans. The Lophophorata include the Bryozoa, Phoronida, and Brachiopoda.[2]
Other phyla are included on the basis of molecular data.
References
