Cephalochordata General Characteristics, Classification and Examples
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Cephalochordata General Characteristics
- They all are found in shallow marine water
- Animals from burrows in sand and they are nocturnal
- Fundamental chordate characters remain throughout life
- Larva and adult both show chordate characters therefore they are considered as blue prints of chordates
- Head is absent. Fish like body and body is divided into trunk and tail
- Circulatory system is closed type and respiratory pigment is absent
- Digestive system is complete
- Wheel organ or ciliated organ of muller helps in ingestion of food by producing circular currents in water
- Excretion done by protonephridia
- Nervous system in form of dorsal, tubular, hollow nerve cord
- These are unisexual animals. fertilization is external.
- Development is indirect.
Classification of Cephalochordata
The subphylum Cephalochordata comprises a single class lepitocardii with two genera
Branchiostoma [Approx. 16 species]
- Gonads lie on each side of the body.
- They inhabit the tropical and subtropical seas
- B. lanceolatum
Asymmetron [Approx. 7 species]
- Gonads lie only on the right side
- They inhabit the tropical seas
- A. cultellum
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