Welcome to Catnapin's
Definitions for Dummies - for Animals
This is not a dictionary or encyclopedia, simply my way of remembering more than my brain will hold.
Classification of Life Forms
Until the 19th century, people thought life forms came in only two kinds: plants and animals. Study revealed that concept too simplistic. Now we have five or six main groups (kingdoms) and biologists still debate if that is enough or divided correctly. Classification of life forms is an ongoing problem. Take the viruses, they are not technically alive but often act like they are, so some people give them their own kingdom.
-----Kingdom
----------Division (for plants) or Phyla (for everything else)
--------------------Class
-------------------------Order
------------------------------Family
-----------------------------------Genera
----------------------------------------Species
The Kingdoms
Monera (Bacteria) Protista (Protist) Fungi (Fungus) Plantae (Plant) Animalia (Animal) Viruses (Virus)
The main issue today is genetic heritage. Are the life forms grouped together truly related or do they just look alike?
Animal Orders
Below are partial lists of animal orders that may appear in this site.
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Animalia (Kingdom), Arthropoda (Phylum) |
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Insecta (Class) Insect Orders The estimated number of species is 6-10 million Over one million species have been named Blattaria - roach Coleoptera - beetle, weevil Dermaptera - earwig Diptera - fly Ephemeroptera - mayfly Hemiptera - true bugs Homoptera - aphid Hymenoptera - ant, wasp, bee Isoptera - termite Lepidoptera - butterfly, moth Mantodea - praying mantis Mecoptera - scorpionfly Neuroptera - lacewing Odonata - dragonfly, damselfly Orthoptera - grasshopper Phasmida - walking stick Phthiraptera - lice Plecoptera - stonefly Psocoptera - booklice Siphonaptera - flea Thysanura - silverfish Trichoptera - caddisfy |
Arachnida (Class) Arachnid Orders Over 100,000 species have been named Acari - mites, ticks Araneae - spiders Opiliones - harvestmen (look like spiders) Pseudoscorpiones - pseudoscorpions Scorpiones - scorpions Thelyphonida - vinegaroons |
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Malacostraca (Class) Crustacean Orders Over 22,000 species have been named Amphipoda - sand flea Decapoda - crayfish, crab, lobster, prawn, shrimp Isopoda - pill bug |
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Chilopoda (Class) Centipede Orders Over 8,000 species have been named Scutigeromorpha - house centipede Scolopendromorpha - centipede (3 other orders) |
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Diplopoda (Class) Millipede Orders Over 10,000 species have been named Spirostreptida - millipedes (14 other orders) |
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Animalia (Kingdom), Mollusca (Phylum) Over 93,000 species have been named |
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Bivalvia (Class) "Clam" Orders Over 30,000 species have been named Common names for the groups (clam, mussel) are not always used to represent a specific order Ostreidae - true oyster - freshwater, marine Ostreoida - scallop - freshwater, marine Unionoida - mussel - freshwater Veneroida - clam, cockle - freshwater, marine |
Gastropoda (Class) Snails About 80,000 species have been named This class is not well understood so many classification systems have been devised. DNA sequencing must determine relationships. Therefore, most references go from Class to Genus. Snail & Slug - terrestrial, freshwater, marine Limpet - freshwater, marine |
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Cephalopoda (Class) Cephalopod Orders Over 700 species have been named Nautilida - nautilus Octopoda - octopus Sepiida - cuttlefish Teuthida - squid |
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Animalia (Kingdom), Chordata (Phylum) |
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Actinopterygii (Class) Bony Fish Orders Over 30,000 species have been named Cypriniformes - carp, goldfish, minnow Cyprinodontiformes - Gambusia Lepisosteiformes - gar Perciformes (largest order) - bass, perch, crappie Salmoniformes - salmon, trout Siluriformes - catfish Syngnathiformes - seahorse
Sarcopterygii (Class) Lobe-finned Fish Orders Coelacanthiformes - latimeria Lepidosireniformes - lungfish |
Chondrichthyes (Class) Cartilaginous Fish Orders Over 900 species have been named Carcharhiniformes - most of the sharks Lamniformes - great white shark Orectolobiformes - whale shark, nurse shark Rajiformes - ray |
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Animalia (Kingdom), Chordata (Phylum), Tetrapoda (Superclass) |
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Amphibia (Class) Amphibian Orders Over 6,300 species have been named Anura - frog, toad Caudata - salamander, newt |
Aves (Class) Bird Orders Listed are only from the Superorder Neognathae About 10,000 species have been named Anseriformes - duck, geese, swan Apodiformes - hummingbirds, swifts Cathartiformes - New World vultures Charadriformes - sandpipers, gulls Ciconiiformes - egrets, herons, stork Columbiformes - doves, pigeons Coraciiformes - kingfishers Cuculiformes - cuckoo, roadrunner Falconiformes - eagle, falcon, hawk Galliformes - chicken, quail, pheasant , turkey Gaviiformes - loon Gruiformes - crane Passeriformes (perching birds) - blackbird, crow, finch, flycatcher, jay, mockingbird, robin, starling, swallow, warbler, wren Pelecaniformes - pelican Piciformes - woodpeckers Podicipediformes - greebes Stringiformes - owls |
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Reptilia (Class) Reptile Orders Over 8,000 species have been named Crocodilia - crocodile, alligator Squamata - lizard, snake Testudines - turtle, terrapin |
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Mammalia (Class) Prototheria (subclass) Monotrem Mammal Orders Over 5 species have been named Monotremata - platypus, echindnas |
Mammalia (Class) Eutheria (Infraclass) Placental Mammal Orders Over 5400 species have been named Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulate) - antelope, camel, cattle, deer, goat, pig, pronghorn, sheep Carnivora - badger, cat, dog, otter, raccoon, skunk Cetacea - dolphin, porpoise, whale Cingulata - armadillo Chiroptera - bat Lagomorpha - hare, rabbit Perissodactyla (odd-toed ungulate) - horse Primates - ape, human, lemur, monkey Rodentia - mouse, porcupine, rat, squirrel |
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Mammalia (Class) Metatheria (Infraclass) Marsupial Mammal Orders Over 330 species have been named Didelphimorphia - opossum |
