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Subphylum

Taxonomic rank

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Source updated July 23, 2026

In zoological nomenclature, a subphylum is a taxonomic rank below the rank of phylum.

The taxonomic rank of "subdivision" in fungi and plant taxonomy is equivalent to "subphylum" in zoological taxonomy. Some plant taxonomists have also used the rank of subphylum, for instance monocotyledons as a subphylum of phylum Angiospermae and vertebrates as a subphylum of phylum Chordata.

01Taxonomic rank

Subphylum is:

subordinate to the phylum
superordinate to the infraphylum, which is in turn superordinate to parvphylum.

Where convenient, subphyla in turn can be divided into infraphyla; in turn such an infraphylum also would be superordinate to any classes or superclasses in the hierarchy.

02Examples

Not all fauna phyla are divided into subphyla. Those that are include:

Arthropoda: divided into subphyla Trilobitomorpha, Chelicerata, Myriapoda, and Crustacea
Brachiopoda: divided into subphyla Linguliformea, Craniformea and Rhynchonelliformea
Chordata: divided into Tunicata, Cephalochordata, and its largest subphylum Vertebrata

Examples of infraphyla include the Mycetozoa, the Gnathostomata and the Agnatha.

Watch videos about SubphylumExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Subphylum”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Images, from Wikimedia Commons:

Biological classification L Pengo vflip.svg by Peter Halasz. (User:Pengo), Public domain

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