Endoskeleton three phyla and one subclass of animals, endoskeletons of various complexity are found: Chordata, Echinodermata, Porifera, and Coleoidea. An endoskeleton may function purely for support (as in the case of sponges), but often serves as an attachment site for muscle and a mechanism for transmitting muscular forces. A true endoskeleton is derived from mesodermal tissue. Such a skeleton is present in echinoderms and chordates. The poriferan 'skeleton' consists of microscopic calcareous or siliceous spicules or a spongin network. The Coleoidae do not have a true endoskeleton in the evolutionary sense; there, a mollusk exoskeleton evolved into several sorts of internal
Tullimonstrum characteristics of the well-known modern phyla, it was speculated that it was representative of a stem group to one of the many phyla of worms that are poorly represented today. Similarities with Cambrian fossil organisms were noted. Chen "et al." suggested similarities to "Vetustovermis planus". Others pointed to a general resemblance between "Tullimonstrum" and "Opabinia regalis", although Cave "et al." noted that they were too morphologically dissimilar to be related. In 2016 a morphological study showed that "Tullimonstrum" may have been a basal vertebrate, and thus a member of the phylum Chordata, with one study suggesting "Tullimonstrum" may be closely