Balanoglossus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).
iHemichordata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Hemichordata
Class: Enteropneusta
Family: Ptychoderidae
Genus: Balanoglossus
Delle Chiaje, 1829
species
  • B. apertus (Spengel, 1893)
  • B. aurantiacus (Girard, 1853)
  • B. australiensis (Hill, 1894)
  • B. biminiensis (Willey, 1899)
  • B. capensis (Gilchrist, 1908)
  • B. carnosus (Willey, 1899)
  • B. clavigerus (Delle Chiaje, 1829)
  • B. gigas (Fr. Müller in Spengel, 1893)
  • B. jamaicensis (Willey, 1899)
  • B. misakiensis (Kuwano, 1902)
  • B. natalensis (Gilchrist, 1908)
  • B. numeensis (Maser, 1913)
  • B. occidentalis (Ritter, 1902)
  • B. proterogonius (Belichov, 1928)
  • B. salmoneus (Belichov, 1928)
  • B. stephensoni (van der Horst, 1937)

Balanoglossus is an ocean-dwelling Acorn worm (Enteropneusta) genus of great zoological interest because it is, like all Hemichordates, an "evolutionary link" between invertebrates and vertebrates. Balanoglossus is a deuterostome, and resembles the Ascidians or sea squirts, in that it possesses branchial openings, or "gill slits", but no notochord and no chorda. It does have a stomochord, however. Their heads may be as small as 2.5 mm (1/10 in) or as large as 5 mm (1/5 in).

 This invertebrate-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../b/a/l/Balanoglossus.html"