CHARACTERISTICS AND FEATURES OF
THE FOUR PHYLA
PHYLUM CNIDARIA
PYLUM
PLATYHELMINTHES
• Sting their prey
using specialized
cells called
cnidocytes
• Simplest animals to
develop tissue
• Having a
gastrodermis
• Exhibit simplest
nervous system
among animals, the
nerve net
• Having sexual stage
is motile, the bellshaped medusa
• Having asexual
stage called polyp
• External fertilization
the process of
reproduction of
cnidarians
• Have a pharynx, is a
muscular tube used
for feeding
• Have excretory
system is a simple
water regulating
system
• Have a flame cell
which are
prototype kidneys
• Can coordinate
body movements as
they respond to
stimuli in the
environment
• Reproduction
differs from species
to species
• Flatworm have a
two species the
free-living and
parasitic flatworms
PHYLUM NEMATODA
PHYLUM ANNELIDA
• Nematode body
exhibit bilateral
symmetry
• Have a cuticle, is a
tough often flexible
• Simplest animals to
exhibit complete
tube-like digestive
track
• Has a mouth at one
end and an anus in
the other end
• Have false coelom
• Produce sexually in
a manner quite
different from
parasitic flatworm
• Possess
segmentation
• Have a digestive
system
• Have mouth,
pharynx,
esophagus, crop,
gizzard, intestine an
anus
• Have a septa
• More pairs of eye,
antenna, sensory
pits, other sense
organ
• Have external
bristle-like structure
called setae
• Contain pairs of
open-ended