chordate

mming larval stage with chordate features, but lose these in adulthood. Vertebrata (Vertebrates): Animals with a vertebral column replacing the notochord in adults, including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Phylogenetic Relationships and Molecular Data Recent advances in molecular ge

n morphological and molecular data, the phylogenetic tree places chordates within the deuterostomes, closely related to echinoderms and hemichordates. Major evolutionary points include: The origin of the notochord in primitive chordates. Divergence of invertebrate chordates (lancelet