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Primitive forerunner of the vertebrates
Answer for the clue "Primitive forerunner of the vertebrates ", 9 letters:
amphioxus
Alternative clues for the word amphioxus
Word definitions for amphioxus in dictionaries
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Word definitions in The Collaborative International Dictionary
Amphioxus \Am`phi*ox"us\, n. [NL., fr. Gr. ? + ? sharp.] (Zo["o]l.) A fishlike creature ( Amphioxus lanceolatus ), two or three inches long, found in temperature seas; -- also called the lancelet . Its body is pointed at both ends. It is the lowest and ...
WordNet
Word definitions in WordNet
n. small translucent lancet-shaped burrowing marine animal; primitive forerunner of the vertebrates [syn: lancelet ] [also: amphioxi (pl)]
Wiktionary
Word definitions in Wiktionary
n. The lancelet, particularly of the genus ''Branchiostoma''
Usage examples of amphioxus.
In fact, the very name amphioxus is from Greek words meaning "both-pointed," with reference to the two ends.
In passing from the primitive chordates, such as amphioxus, into the vertebrate subphylum, one passes from an unspecialized nerve cord to one in which the anterior end has developed into the brain.
As I understand it, he actually anticipated in his pamphlet Saint Hilaire's theory of the universal type, and supported the hypothesis by describing the notochord of the amphioxus as a cartilaginous vertebral column.