Vampyromorphida is an order

Order (biology)

In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...

 of cephalopod

Cephalopod

A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan class Cephalopoda . These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral body symmetry, a prominent head, and a set of arms or tentacles modified from the primitive molluscan foot...

s comprising one known extant species (Vampyroteuthis infernalis

Vampire Squid

The vampire squid is a small, deep-sea cephalopod found throughout the temperate and tropical oceans of the world. Unique retractile sensory filaments justify the Vampire Squid's placement in its own order: Vampyromorphida , which shares similarities with both squid and octopuses...

) and many extinct

Extinction

In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...

 taxa

Taxon

|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...

. Physically, they somewhat resemble octopus

Octopus

The octopus is a cephalopod mollusc of the order Octopoda. Octopuses have two eyes and four pairs of arms, and like other cephalopods they are bilaterally symmetric. An octopus has a hard beak, with its mouth at the center point of the arms...

es, but the eight main tentacles are united by a web of skin, and two smaller tentacles are also present.

Classification

• Order Vampyromorphida
  • ?Suborder †Kelaenina
    • Family †Muensterellidae
  • Suborder †Prototeuthina
    • Family †Loligosepiidae
    • Family †Geopeltididae
    • Family †Lioteuthididae
    • Family †Mastigophoridae
  • Suborder †Mesoteuthina
    • Family †Palaeololiginidae
      • Subfamily †Teudopseinae
      • Subfamily †Palaeololigininae
  • Suborder Vampyromorphina
    • Family Vampyroteuthidae
      Vampyroteuthidae
      Vampyroteuthidae is a family of vampyromorph cephalopods comprising the extant Vampire Squid, Vampyroteuthis infernalis, and the extinct Vampyronassa rhodanica from the Middle Jurassic.-References:...
      
      

The following taxa were long considered to belong to Vampyromorphida, but this placement may be incorrect:

• Family †Plesioteuthididae
  Plesioteuthididae
  Plesioteuthididae is an extinct family of squid.-External links:**...
  
  
• Family †Leptotheuthididae
• Family †Trachyteuthididae
  • Subfamily †Trachyteuthidinae
  • Subfamily †Actinosepiinae