Belongs within: Deuterostomia.
Contains: Cyclostomata, Conodonta, Birkeniida, Thelodontomorphi, Pteraspidomorphi, Galeaspida, Osteostraci, Gnathostomata.
The Craniata are a major subgroup of the chordates in which the neural tube is enlarged to form a brain that is protected by an endoskeletal cranium. Anterior sensory structures such as eye lenses and an olfactory epithelium are also developed in the head region. In development, these head structures are formed from ectodermal placodes while neural crest cells give rise to the dermal skeleton, skeletal material of jaws and branchial arches, trabeculae, parts of sensory capsules, pigment cells, some cardiac and aortic-arch motor neurons and some sensory cranial nerves. Most craniates also possess an internal skeleton with vertebrae, characterising the clade Vertebrata.
Our understanding of higher-level phylogeny within living craniates is relatively stable except for the position of the Myxinidae (hagfish). Morphological studies place hagfish, which possess a cranium but lack vertebrae, outside the vertebrates, but molecular studies place hagfish as sister to Petromyzontidae (lampreys), implying that their lack of some vertebrate synapomorphies may represent a secondary loss.
<==Craniata [Agnatha, Craniota, Pisces, Tetraploblastica]SCM03
|--Haikouichthys Luo, Hu & Shu in Shu, Luo et al. 1999SCM03, SL99
| `--*H. ercaicunensis Luo, Hu & Shu in Shu, Luo et al. 1999SL99
`--Vertebrata (see below for synonymy)BJ06
| i. s.: Boothialepis thorsteinssoni Märss 1999SM01
| Canonia grossiMG01
| Jianichthys longicephalusZBH03
| Longdeichthys lujiaxiaensisZBH03
| Yanosteus longidorsalisZBH03
| IrenichthysS02
| ParaloganiaBMM02
| |--P. kummerowi (Gross 1967)BMM02
| `--P. ludlowiensis Gross 1967SM01
| Fagea Buen 1940C92
| Lophacanthus Stock 1880C92
| Pezopallichthys [Furcacaudiformes]SM01
| `--P. ritchiei Wilson & Caldwell 1998SM01
| Angaralepis moskalenkoaeK-TS03
| Skiichthys halsteadiK-TS03
| Achanarella Newman 2002 [Achanarellidae]N02
| `--*A. trewini Newman 2002N02
| Hanilepis wangiW97
| Machaerasthus bohemicusW97
| Clarorbis apponomedianusJP97
| Lepidorhombus bosciPP64
| Gastrobranchus Bloch 1797B97
| `--*G. coecus Bloch 1797B97
| PituriaspidaJ93
| |--Pituriaspis doyleiJ93
| `--NeeyambaspisJ93
| Pircanchaspis rinconensis Schultze in Erdtmann et al. 2000TBN04
| Areyongalepis oervigiTBN04
| Proceros Rafinesque 1820G00
| Myllokunmingia Shu, Zhang & Han in Shu, Luo et al. 1999SL99
| `--*M. fengjiaoa Shu, Zhang & Han in Shu, Luo et al. 1999SL99
| Escharaspis alataELL98
| Stegobranchiaspis baringensisELL98
| Eskimaspis heintziELL98
| BoothiaspisELL98
| |--B. alataELL98
| `--B. ovataELL98
| Alainaspis platyrhinaELL98
| Schizodon Agassiz 1829F82
|--CyclostomataMW07
`--+--ConodontaGCR06
`--+--Jamoytius [Jamoytiidae]GCR06
| `--J. kerwoodi White 1946BMM02
|--EuphaneropidaeN02
| |--LegendrelepisN02
| |--Euphanerops Woodward 1900MS16, W00
| | `--*E. longaevus Woodward 1900W00
| `--Cornovichthys Newman & Trewin 2001N02
| `--C. blaauweni Newman & Trewin 2001N02
`--+--Anaspida [Anaspidiformes]GCR06
| | i. s.: Ctenopleuron nerepisense Matthew 1907BMM02
| |--BirkeniidaBMM02
| `--Lasanius Traquair 1898 [Lasaniidae]BMM02
| |--L. armatus Traquair 1898BMM02
| `--L. problematicus Traquair 1898BMM02
`--+--ThelodontomorphiMS16
`--+--PteraspidomorphiMS16
`--+--GaleaspidaGCR06
`--+--OsteostraciGCR06
`--GnathostomataMW07
Craniata incertae sedis:
Acus Müller 1774BR05
‘Acus’ Swainson 1839 non Müller 1774BR05
‘Gonostoma’ van Hasselt 1823 non Rafinesque 1810BR05
Aetheolepis mirabilis Woodward 1895F71
Apateolepis australis Woodward 1890F71
Aphelepis australis Woodward 1895F71
Madariscus robustus (Woodward 1895) [=Archaeomaene robustus]F71
Belichthys minimusF71
Corunegenys bowralensis Wade 1941F71
Enigmatichthys attenuatus Wade 1935F71
Gosfordia truncata Woodward 1890F71
MyriolepisF71
|--M. clarkeiF71
`--M. lata Woodward 1890 [=M. latus]F71
Proctotretus stantoni Girard 1854DS89
Homalopomanus trowbridgii Girard 1856DS89
Holconotus trowbridgii Girard 1858DS89
Metaspriggina Simonetta & Insom 1993MS16, W96
Chilodus Muller & Troschel 1844BR17
Zalophancylus morani Hannibal 1912 [=Lanx (Zalophancylus) morani]TTE93
Taraxes Day 1881K18
Pseudogastromyzon myersiB93
Morulius chrysophekadionB93
Tanichthys chrysophekadionB93
Cyphomalepis Pander 1856P56
`--*C. egertoni Pander 1856P56
Trachylepis Pander 1856P56
`--*T. formosus Pander 1856P56
Stigmolepis Pander 1856P56
`--*S. owenii Pander 1856P56
Dasylepis Pander 1856P56
`--*D. keyserlingii Pander 1856P56
Lopholepis Pander 1856P56
`--*L. schmidtii Pander 1856P56
Dictyolepis Pander 1856P56
`--*D. bronnii Pander 1856P56
Melittomalepis Pander 1856P56
`--*M. elegans Pander 1856P56
PterichthysP56
|--P. elegans Pander 1856P56
|--P. harderi Pander 1856P56
`--P. striatus Pander 1856P56
Rabdacanthus Pander 1856P56
`--*R. truncatus Pander 1856P56
Prionocanthus Pander 1856P56
`--*P. dubius Pander 1856P56
Aulacodus Pander 1856P56
`--*A. obliquus (Eichwald 1854) [=Sphagodus obliquus]P56
Strosipherus Pander 1856P56
|--S. indentatus Pander 1856P56
|--S. laevis Pander 1856P56
`--S. serratus Pander 1856P56
Odontotodus Pander 1856P56
`--*O. rootsikuellensis Pander 1856P56
Gomphodus Pander 1856P56
`--*G. sandelensis Pander 1856P56
Strophodus reticulatusP56
Coscinodus Pander 1856P56
`--*C. agassizii Pander 1856P56
Monopleurodus Pander 1856P56
`--*M. ohhesaarensis Pander 1856P56
Plectrodus mirabilisP56
Polyphractus platycephalusP56
Vertebrata [Birkeniiformes, Cephalaspidomorphi, Diplorhina, Hyperoartii, Jamoytiiformes, Monorhina, Myopterygii, Nantes]BJ06
*Type species of generic name indicated
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