Overview
A subphylum of small cigar-shaped chordates commonly called lancelets and including amphioxus Branchiostoma, with a persistent notochord in adult and a large sac-like pharynx with gill slits for food collection and respiration.
Taxonomy
The Subphylum Cephalochordata is a member of the Phylum Chordata. Here is the complete "parentage" of Cephalochordata:
- Domain: Eukaryota
Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Animalia
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
(Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
- Branch: Deuterostomia
Grobben, 1908 - Deuterostomes
- Infrakingdom: Chordonia
(Haeckel, 1874) Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Phylum: Chordata
Bateson, 1885 - Chordates
- Subphylum: Cephalochordata Owen, 1846 - Lancelets
- Phylum: Chordata
Bateson, 1885 - Chordates
- Infrakingdom: Chordonia
(Haeckel, 1874) Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Branch: Deuterostomia
Grobben, 1908 - Deuterostomes
- Subkingdom: Bilateria
(Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
- Kingdom: Animalia
C. Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
The Subphylum Cephalochordata is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Class (1): Cephalochordata
Classes
Cephalochordata
Cephalochordata (from Greek: ?efa?? kephal?, "head" and ???d? khord?, "chord") is a chordate subphylum defined by the presence of a notochord that persists throughout life. It is represented in the modern oceans by the lancelets (also known as Amphioxus). [more]
At least 28 species and subspecies belong to the Class Cephalochordata.
More info about the Class Cephalochordata may be found here.
Sources
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