Branchiostoma

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)

Branchiostoma
Branchiostoma lanceolatum from Belgium
Scientific classification
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

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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