Protostome
clade of animals whose mouth develops before the anus
Protostomes are a nephrozoan taxon of animals above the level of phylum. It is not part of the normal system of classification.
| Protostomes Temporal range:
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|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Subkingdom: | Eumetazoa |
| Clade: | ParaHoxozoa |
| Clade: | Bilateria |
| Clade: | Nephrozoa |
| (unranked): | Protostomia Grobben, 1908 |
| Superphyla | |
They are a subtaxon of the Bilateria, and are contrasted with the deuterostomes. Protosomes are distingued by their embryo: in deuterostomes, the first opening (the blastopore) becomes the anus, while in protostomes it becomes the mouth.
DNA sequence analysis suggests that protostome animals can be divided into three major groups:
- Ecdysozoa, e.g. arthropods, nematodes
- Platyzoa, e.g. platyhelminthes, rotifers
- Lophotrochozoa, e.g. molluscs, annelids
as well as a number of minor taxa, like the Chaetognatha.