Jaw worms | |
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Gnathostomula paradoxa | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Subkingdom: | Eumetazoa |
Clade: | ParaHoxozoa |
Clade: | Bilateria |
Clade: | Nephrozoa |
(unranked): | Protostomia |
(unranked): | Spiralia |
Clade: | Gnathifera |
Phylum: | Gnathostomulida Ax, 1956[1] |
Orders and suborders | |
Gnathostomulids, or jaw worms, are a small phylum of nearly microscopic marine animals. They inhabit sand and mud beneath shallow coastal waters and can survive in relatively anoxic environments. They were first recognised and described in 1956.[1]