Branchiostoma

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

Anatomical diagram of B. lanceolatum (click for description)

Branchiostoma
Branchiostoma lanceolatum from Belgium
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Leptocardii
Order: Amphioxiformes
Family: Branchiostomatidae
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

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
  • Branchiostoma africae Hubbs, 1927
  • Branchiostoma arabiae Webb, 1957
  • Branchiostoma bazarutense Gilchrist, 1923
  • Branchiostoma belcheri Gray, 1847 (Belcher's lancelet)
  • Branchiostoma bennetti Boschung & Gunter, 1966 (Mud lancelet)
  • Branchiostoma bermudae Hubbs, 1922
  • Branchiostoma californiense Andrews, 1893 (Californian lancelet)
  • Branchiostoma capense Gilchrist, 1902
  • Branchiostoma caribaea Sundevall, 1853 (Caribbean lancelet)
  • Branchiostoma clonasea
  • Branchiostoma elongata Sundevall, 1852
  • Branchiostoma floridae Hubbs, 1922 (Florida lancelet)
  • Branchiostoma gambiense Webb, 1958
  • Branchiostoma indica Willey, 1901
  • Branchiostoma japonica Willey, 1896 (Pacific lancelet)
  • Branchiostoma lanceolatum Pallas, 1774 (European lancelet)
  • Branchiostoma leonense Webb, 1956
  • Branchiostoma longirostra Boschung, 1983 (Shellhash lancelet)
  • Branchiostoma malayana Webb, 1956
  • Branchiostoma moretonense Kelly, 1966; nomen dubium[2][3]
  • Branchiostoma nigeriense Webb, 1955
  • Branchiostoma platae Hubbs, 1922
  • Branchiostoma senegalense Webb, 1955
  • Branchiostoma tattersalli Hubbs, 1922
  • Branchiostoma virginiae 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".


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