Xenambulacraria

 ( Controversial Taxa ) 

Xenambulacraria is a proposed clade of with bilateral symmetry as an embryo, consisting of the Xenacoelomorpha (i.e., Xenoturbella and ) and the Ambulacraria (i.e., and ).

If confirmed, the clade would either be the sister group to the (if are monophyletic) or the sister group to all the other bilaterians, grouped together in Centroneuralia (with deuterostomes being paraphyletic).

Although the validity of the clade relies mostly on phylogenomics, molecular genetics studies have proposed pigment cell clusters expressing polyketide synthase (PKS) and sulfotransferase as a synapomorphy of Xenambulacraria.

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Phylogeny Xenambulacraria has usually been recovered as a clade inside of either of two distinct phylogenies.

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Basal Xenambulacraria The following phylogeny assumes a paraphyletic Deuterostomia, with Xenambulacraria at the base of Bilateria.

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Xenambulacraria inside Deuterostomia

The following phylogeny assumes a monophyletic Deuterostomia, with Xenambulacraria nested inside of it.

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Gallery

File:Nemertodermatida species.png|Various Acoelomorpha (Nemertodermatida). File:Enteropneusta.png|Various Hemichordata (Enteropneusta). File:Echinodermata.png|Various Echinodermata from all extant classes.

Categories: Controversial Taxa, Bilaterian Taxa

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