What key feature indicates Lithobates sylvaticus's placement in Phylum Chordata?
Answer
Presence of a notochord at some stage of life.
Placement within the Phylum Chordata signifies that an organism belongs to a group characterized by possessing specific anatomical structures at some point during its ontogeny, or life cycle development. The defining feature for this phylum is the notochord, a flexible rod providing skeletal support. For the Wood Frog, this structure is present during its embryonic or larval development, even though it may be replaced later by a vertebral column in the adult amphibian. This developmental presence of the notochord, regardless of the adult form, is the critical criterion that places *Lithobates sylvaticus* firmly within Chordata, separating it from invertebrates.
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