Balanoglossus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Balanoglossus | |
|---|---|
 |
|
Scientific classification  |
|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Hemichordata |
| Class: | Enteropneusta |
| Family: | Ptychoderidae |
| Genus: | Balanoglossus Delle Chiaje, 1829 |
| Species | |
|
See text. |
|
Balanoglossus is an ocean-dwelling acorn worm (Enteropneusta) genus of great zoological interest because, being a Hemichordate, it is 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 differs in having no notochord and no nerve cord. It does have a stomochord, however, which is gut chord within the collar. Their heads may be as small as 2.5 mm (1/10 in) or as large as 5 mm (1/5 in).
[edit] Species
The World Register of Marine Species lists the following species: [1]
 |
Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Balanoglossus. |
- Balanoglossus apertus (Spengel, 1893)
- Balanoglossus aurantiacus (Girard, 1853)
- Balanoglossus australiensis (Hill, 1894)
- Balanoglossus biminiensis (Willey, 1899)
- Balanoglossus capensis (Gilchrist, 1908)
- Balanoglossus carnosus (Willey, 1899)
- Balanoglossus clavigerus (Delle Chiaje, 1829)
- Balanoglossus gigas (Fr. Müller in Spengel, 1893)
- Balanoglossus jamaicensis (Willey, 1899)
- Balanoglossus misakiensis (Kuwano, 1902)
- Balanoglossus natalensis (Gilchrist, 1908)
- Balanoglossus numeensis (Maser, 1913)
- Balanoglossus occidentalis (Ritter, 1902)
- Balanoglossus proterogonius (Belichov, 1928)
- Balanoglossus salmoneus (Belichov, 1928)
- Balanoglossus stephensoni (van der Horst, 1937)
[edit] References
- ^ Balanoglossus - delle Chiaje, 1829 World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2011-10-17.
 |
This hemichordate-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
