Primitive

Chordates

This page contains several groups generally classified as primitive chordates, the ancestors of the vertebrates. The general classification scheme is:

Phylum Echinodermata

Phylum Hemichordata (Acorn Worms, Pterobranchs, and the extinct Graptolites)

Phylum Chordata (Chordates)

Class Urochordata (Sea Squirts, Tunicates, Ascidians, etc.)

Class Cephalochordata (Amphioxus, Lancet)

Class Vertebrata (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals)

The Echinodermata (Sea Stars, Sea Urchins, Sea Cucumbers, etc. are treated on a separate page and are included here because they are generally considered to be the closest relatives to the Chordates and Hemichordates. To find out more about these groups you can visit the links listed below. We have also prepared a short introduction to these groups.

HEMICHORDATA (ACORN WORMS AND PTEROBRANCHS)

Introduction to the Hemichordata. Museum of Paleontology, University of California. An excellent introduction to the Hemichordata.

Marine Biology Laboratory Specimen Database. Photograph of the Acorn Worm Sarcoglossus kowalevskii from the Woods Hole region of Massachusetts.

 

PROTOCHORDATA (UROCHORDATA AND CEPHALOCHORDATA)

General

Protochordata. David Cannatella. A technical introduction to the Protochordates.

 

Urochordata (Sea Squirts, Tunicates, Ascidians)

Introduction to the Urochordata. Museum of Paleontology, University of California. An introduction to the Urochordata.

Sea Squirts. K. Amaral. A very good, non-technical introduction to the Urochordata.

Keys to Marine Invertebrates of the Woods Hole Region. Marine Biology Laboratory. This site has keys and a general introduction to the ascidians, sea squirts, and tunicates of the Woods Hole region of Massachusetts. It also has a list of references and checklist of the species of the region.

British Columbia Creature Page. Kerry Werry. This excellent site has photographs and information on several species of Urochordata from the coastal region of British Columbia.

Marine Biology Laboratory Specimen Database. Photographs of tunicates and other members of the Urochordata found in the Woods Hole region of Massachusetts.

Ascidian Home Page for the United States. C. and G. Lambert. An archive for a newsletter called "Ascidian News".

 

Cephalochordata (Amphioxus)

Introduction to the Cephalochordata. Museum of Paleontology, University of California. An excellent introduction to the Cephalochordata.