Branchiostoma

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Branchiostoma
Branchiostoma lanceolatum (cropped).jpg
Branchiostoma lanceolatum from Belgium
Scientific classification e
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Leptocardii
Order: Amphioxiformes
Family: Branchiostomidae
Genus: Branchiostoma
Costa, 1834
Type species
Branchiostoma lanceolatum
(Pallas, 1774)
Diversity
About 11 species
Synonyms
  • Amphioxus Yarrel, 1836[1]
  • Limax Pallas 1774 non von Linné 1758 non Férussac 1819 non Martyn 1784
  • Dolichorhynchus Willey 1901 non Mulk & Jairajpuri 1974 non Hedge & Kit-Tan 1987

Branchiostoma is one of the few living genera of lancelets (order Amphioxiformes). It is the type genus of family Branchiostomidae.

Anatomical diagram of B. lanceolatum (click for description)

These small vaguely eel- or snake-like animals are close relatives of vertebrates. The scientific name means "gill-mouth", referring to their anatomy – unlike vertebrates, they do not have a true head (with a skull capsule, eyes, nose, a well-developed brain etc.), but merely a mouth adjacent to the gill-slits, with the slightly enlarged anterior end of the dorsal nerve cord above and in front of them. It dislikes the light.

Like all lancelets, they are filter feeders that hide in the sediment most of the time. The genus inhabits coastal waters throughout the world.

Species[]

  • Hubbs 1927
  • Webb 1957
  • Gilchrist 1923
  • Gray 1847 (Belcher's lancelet)
  • Branchiostoma bennetti Boschung & Gunter 1966 (Mud lancelet)
  • Hubbs 1922
  • Andrews 1893 (Californian lancelet)
  • Gilchrist 1902
  • Sundevall 1853 (Caribbean lancelet)
  • Sundevall 1852
  • Branchiostoma floridae Hubbs 1922 (Florida lancelet)
  • Webb 1958
  • Willey 1901
  • Willey 1896 (Pacific lancelet)
  • Branchiostoma lanceolatum Pallas 1774 (European lancelet)
  • Webb 1956
  • Boschung 1983 (Shellhash lancelet)
  • Webb 1956
  • Kelly 1966; nomen dubium[2][3]
  • Webb 1955
  • Hubbs 1922
  • Webb 1955
  • Hubbs 1922
  • Hubbs 1922 (Virginian lancelet)

References[]

  1. ^ "Report of the United States Commissioner of Fisheries for the fiscal year 1928 with appendixes — Part II" (PDF). 1928. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  2. ^ "UNESCO-IOC Register of Marine Organisms (URMO) - Branchiostoma mortonense Kelly, 1966".
  3. ^ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Branchiostoma mortonense Kelly, 1966".

External links[]


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