Subphylum

/sˈʌbfaɪləm/

[noun]

Subphylum

[NOUN]

a taxonomic rank that is lower than phylum and higher than class

Examples

1. Some taxonomists say it’s in a class by themselves or a subphylum instead.

2. The third and last and most complex subphylum, is the Vertebrata, and has the most species in it because its members have a hard backbone, which has allowed for an explosion in diversity, from tiny minnows to the great blue whale.

3. And chordates, we're actually in the subphylum, which I didn't write here, vertebrates, which means we have a vertebra.

4. However, if eight legs, fangs, and stingers aren't enough to scare you, Arizona's Sonoran Desert is also home to a subphylum of creatures with even more legs, the myriapods, which consists of centipedes and millipedes.