| Term | Definition |
| Tunicates | sea squirt larvae |
| Lancelets | lancelets |
| Agnatha | hagfish and lampraes |
| Chondrichthyes | sharks, rays, and skates |
| Ostechthyes | salmon, tuna, halibut, and cod |
| Amphibia | frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and ceacilians |
| Reptilia | turtles and crockidilians |
| Aves | birds |
| Mammalia | mammals |
| Chordata | the vertebrate classes |
| Porifera | sponges |
| Cnidaria | jellyfish, corals, sea anemonies |
| Platyhelminthes | planarian worms |
| Nematoda | roundworms |
| Annelida | earthworms and leeches |
| Mollusca | gastropods, cephlopods, and bivalves |
| Echinodermata | sea stars and sea cucumbers |
| Ctenophora | comb jellies |