Directory of Cephalochordata Resources

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Cephalochordates are non-vertebrate members of the Phylum Chordata, having diverged from the evolutionary line leading to the vertebrates before the end of the Precambrian. A cephalochordate has no head, a transparent body like a leaf with a notochord running from end to end, and rows of muscle on either side by which to wriggle, swim or bury itself. They are commonly known as lancelets.

Resources in This Category

• Amphioxus Embryonic Development

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycHJMXUT2o0
  A fascinating short movie from YouTube showing the early cell divisions in the egg and its subsequent development.

• Amphioxus: A Peaceful Anchovy Fillet to Illuminate Chordate Evolution

  http://www.ijbs.com/v02p0030.htm
  Illustrated article on amphioxus, a species which occupies a central place in evolutionary thoughts when considering the origin of vertebrates.

• Branchiostoma in coarse sand

  http://www.devonwildlifetrust.org/index.php?section=champions:baywatch:biotope_7
  Information on several species that live in sand at moderate depths off the coast of Devon, UK, and photographs of the lancelet (Branchiostoma lanceolatum) and the pea urchin (Echinocyamus pusillus).

• Introduction to the Cephalochordata

  http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/chordata/cephalo.html
  Illustrated description of these primitive chordates, which are small, eel-like, unprepossessing animals that spend much of their time buried in sand.

• Lancelet

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancelet
  Photograph of Branchiostoma lanceolatum and information from Wikipedia on the genus, traditionally known as amphioxus, its physical features and taxonomy.

• The Amphioxus Song

  http://www.flounder.com/amphioxus.htm
  A song, set to the tune of “It’s a long way to Tipperary”, that explains in verse the evolutionary development of vertebrates.

 

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