Starfish by the starfish in an escape response. The loss of parts of the body is achieved by the rapid softening of a special type of connective tissue in response to nervous signals. This type of tissue is called catch connective tissue and is found in most echinoderms. An autotomy-promoting factor has been identified which, when injected into another starfish, causes rapid shedding of arms. The lifespan of a starfish varies considerably between species, generally being longer in larger forms and in those with planktonic larvae. For example, "Leptasterias hexactis" broods a small number of large-yolked eggs. It has an adult
Phylum for Chromista and Protozoa by the Catalogue of Life, adapted from the system used by the International Society of Protistologists. The Catalogue of Life includes Rhodophyta and Glaucophyta in kingdom Plantae, but other systems consider these phyla part of Protista. Currently there are 29 phyla accepted by List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN) Currently there are 5 phyla accepted by List of Prokaryotic names with Standing in Nomenclature (LPSN). Phylum In biology, a phylum (; plural: phyla) is a level of classification or taxonomic rank below Kingdom and above Class. Traditionally, in botany the term division has