Cycloneuralia


Cycloneuralia is a clade of ecdysozoan animals including the Scalidophora (Kinorhynchans, Loriciferans, Priapulids) and the Nematoida (nematodes, Nematomorphs).[1][2] It may be paraphyletic, or may be a sister group to Panarthropoda. Or perhaps Panarthropoda is paraphyletic with respect to Cycloneuralia.[3] The group has also been considered a single phylum, sometimes given the old name Nemathelminthes.[4] The uniting character is the nervous system organization with a circumpharyngeal brain and somata–neuropil–somata pattern.[5]The name derives from the position of the brain around the pharynx.[6]