Af

fi
nit
iesofCy
clost
omes:

Cyclostomesar eevidentl
ychor date.Theyarepri
mit
ive
vert
ebr at
es.Theirammocoet elarvaresemblesinmost
characterswiththatofBranchiostoma, whichshowspri
miti
ve
rel
ationship.Whereas,adultcyclostomespossessspecial
i
sed
aswel lasdegeneratecharacteristi
cs.

I
.Pr
imi
ti
veChar
act
ersofCy
clost
omes:

(
A)Char
act
ersResembl
i
ngt
hoseofAmphi
oxus:

1.Absenceofj
aws,
exoskel
etonandpai
redf
ins.

2.Cont
inuousnot
ochor
d(butwi
thanaddedsheat
h).

3.Segmental
muscul
atur
e(my
otomes)butl
i
ttl
emodi
fi
edf
rom
headtotai
l
.

4.Cil
i
atedali
ment
aryt
ractst
rai
ghtandwi
thoutmuchr
egi
onal
speci
ali
sat
ion.

5.Rel
ati
vel
ylar
genumber
sofgi
l
l-
sli
ts.

6.Endost
ylei
nlampr
eyl
arv
a.

7.Gonadswi
thoutgonoduct
s.

Besi
desthese,
theammocoet
elar
vaofl
ampr
eysr
esembl
es
Amphioxusasfol
lows:

1.Fi
sh-
li
kebody
.

2.Or
alhoodant
eri
ort
omout
h.

3.Cont
inuousdor
sal
andcaudal
fins.

4.Ci
l
iat
eddi
gest
ivet
ract
.

5.Fi
l
terf
eedi
nghabi
tand
6.Endost
ylef
unct
ionsi
nfeedi
ng.

(B)Charact
ersmor
ePr
imi
ti
vet
hani
nFi
shes(
Dif
fer
encesf
rom
Fishes)
:

1.Nobiti
ngjaws,Scal
es,
truet
eet
h,t
ruef
inr
ays,
gir
dles,
ribs,
stomach,spl
eenandgonoduct
s.

2.Cont
inuousmedi
andor
sal
fin.

3.Di
phy
cer
cal
caudal
fin.

4.Si
ngl
emedi
annost
ri
l,
inst
eadofpai
red.

5.Cr
ani
um i
ncompl
eteorpoor
lydev
eloped.

6.Nov
ert
ebr
aeorpoor
lydev
elopedv
ert
ebr
ae.

7.Rudi
ment
arypancr
eas.

8.Nospinal
val
ve,
oronl
ysl
i
ght
lydev
elopedspi
ral
val
ve,
in
i
ntest
ine.

9.Br
ainr
elat
ivel
ysmal
lorgener
ali
sed.

10.Nint
handtent
hcrani
alnerv
esnotencl
osedi
nthecr
ani
um.
Absenceofmedul
lat
ednerves.

11.Sympat
het
icner
voussy
stem v
erypr
imi
ti
veandpoor
ly
devel
oped.

12.Heartar
atherl
oosel
ytwi
stedS-
shapedt
ubewi
thoutconus
art
eri
osus.

13.Lat
eral
li
neor
ganspoor
lydev
elopedandi
nisol
atedpi
ts.

14.Hypophy
sial
ductrat
herlar
ge,
opent
otheext
eri
orandnot
connect
edwiththepi
tui
tar
ybody.

(
C)Af
fi
nit
ieswi
thOst
racoder
ms:
Cephalaspidsandanaspi dsarefossilagnathanst hatshow
simil
ari
tytothemodem cy cl
ostomest hanpt er
aspids
(Neter
ostraciorPter
aspida).Ostracodermsbel ongi
ngto
Ordovi
cianaret heOldestfossi
lvertebrates.Theywer e
abundantinSiluri
anperiodandbecomeext inctinDevonian.
Probablytheywer et
hef orer
unnersofhi gherf i
shes.

Thefossi
lost
racodermsandpr
esentcycl
ost
omesar
ekepti
n
Agnathaduet
ot hefol
lowi
ngsi
mil
ari
ti
es:

1.Pr
esenceofamedi
anpi
neal
eye.

2.Pr
esenceofv
elarpump-
li
kel
ampr
ey.

3.Endost
ylesac-
li
ke.

4.Si
ngl
enasal
openi
ngt
houghnasal
sacsar
epai
red.

5.Br
aini
sli
ket
hatofl
ampr
ey.

6.Twosemi
ci
rcul
arcanal
sint
heear
.

7.Dor
sal
andv
ent
ral
ner
ver
oot
ssepar
ateupt
o15.

8.Pai
rsofbr
anchi
alpouchessur
roundedbyabr
anchi
albasket
.

9.Cont
inuousuncost
ri
ctednot
ochor
d.

10.Absenceofj
aws.

Stensiohol dsthatthepteraspi
dshav egiv
enrisetothe
my xinoids,andthecephalaspidst othelampreys.TheAgnat
ha
wer ethef i
rstanimalsofthechor dat
et ypetobecomelarge.
Theyf eedondet rit
usont hebot t
om.Thel ampreysand
hagfisheshav ebeender i
vedf r
om ear lyAgnat
habyt he
evolutionofasucki ngmout h,perhapswi t
hlossofthebony
skeletonandpai redli
mbs.

I
I.Speci
ali
sedChar
act
ers:

1.Sucki
ngmout
hbuccal
funnel
andhor
nyt
eet
h(i
nlampr
eys)
f
orat
tachment
.

2.Powerf
ultonguear
medwi
thshar
phor
nyt
eet
hwor
ksasa
raspi
ngorgan.

3.Secr
eti
onofant
icoagul
ant
sinsal
i
vat
ofeedonbl
oodofpr
ey.

4.Sac-
li
kegil
l-
pouches.Locat
edf
arbehi
ndhead.I
tispr
obabl
y
anadaptat
iontoburr
owing.

5.Complet
eseparat
ionofl
owersac-
li
ker
espi
rat
oryphar
ynx
fr
om upperdi
gest
ivephar
ynx.

6.Waterenter
inggil
l
-pouchesandalsol
eav
ingthem t
hrough
ext
ernalgi
ll
openingsandnotthroughmouth.

7.I
nhagfi
shes,
presenceofl
argemucussecr
eti
ngmucous
gl
ands.

8.Dor
sal
posi
ti
onofnost
ri
lonheadi
nlampr
eys.

9.Lar
ge,heavy
-yol
kedegg,
wit
hmer
obl
ast
iccl
eav
ageandno
l
arval
stageinhags.

I
II
.Degener
ateChar
act
ers:

1.Si
mpleelongat
edeel
-l
ikebodymoremarkedi
nhags.
Whereasostr
acoder
msbodyi sbr
oadfi
sh-
li
ke.

2.Rudi
ment
arypai
redey
escov
eredbyt
hickski
ninhags.

3.Lackofexoskel
etonorbonyar
mour
.

4.Absenceofpai
redf
insandgi
rdl
es.

5.Lackofossi
fi
cat
ionofendoskel
eton,
iti
scar
ti
lagi
nous.

6.Reducedl
i
verandl
ackofgal
l
-bl
adderandbi
l
e-ducti
nadul
t
l
ampr ey
.