Zoology Assignment

Roll no. 179

Topic : Survey of superclass AGNATHA in fish
 Scientific Classification

• Kingdom ------------ Animalia

• Phylum ------------ Chordata
• Subphylum --------- Vertebrata
• Superclass ---------- Agnatha
 Introduction
• Agnatha is Greek word meaning no jaws .
• Consist of both present (cyclostomes) and extinct (conodonts and
ostracoderms) species.
• According to recent molecular data they are monophyletic .
• 2 groups In cyclostomes still survive . Lampreys and hagfish .
 Modern Agnathans
In addition to absence of jaws modern agnathans are characterized by :
• Absence of paired fins
• Presence of a notochord
• 7 or more paired gill pouches
 Other Characteristics
• Fertilization is external.
• They are cold blooded or ectothermic .
• Cartilaginous skeleton
• Heart contain 2 chambers.
 Metabolism
• Ectothermic
• Metabolism slow in cold water
• Have no distinct stomach but long gut
• Sharp teeth but unable to move this limits their possible food types
• Hagfish mostly eat dead animals
 Body Covering
• Body covered with skin with neither dermal or epidermal scales
• Skin of hagfish has slime glands for defense against enemy fish
 Appendages
• No paired appendages
• Extinct species had paired fins
• Most do have caudal fin
 Reproduction
• External fertilization
• It is believed hagfish have 30 eggs over a lifetime
• Most specie are hermaphrodite
• Lampreys are able to reproduce once in their lifetime . After external
fertilization in lampreys cloacas remain open allowing a fungus to wnter
their intestine killing them . Lampreys bury their eggs resulting hatchlings
go through 4 years of larval development before becoming adults .
 2 classes of Agnathans
• Myxini ----------hagfish ----------- 70 specie
• Petromyzontida ---------- lampreys ---------- 38 specie
 Hagfish
Introduction and characteristics
 Introduction
• Eel shaped
• Slime producing marine fish
• Also called slime eels
• Only known living organisms that have skull but no vertebral column
• Jawless
 Body features
• Paddle like tails
• Cartilaginous skulls
• Eyes are simple eye spots
• No true fins
• 6 or 8 barbels and a single nostril
• Horny comb shaped teeth
 Slime
• Slime is released from some 100 glands
• Works for defense
• Slime clog up enemy fish gills so they die
 Respiration
• Respire by taking in water through its pharynx bringing the water through
its pharynx bringing the water through internal gill pouches which vary in
number from 5 to 16 pairs
• Have a well developed dermal capillary network that supplies the skin
with oxygen
 Nervous system
• Some morphologists believe that they do not possess a cerebellum while
others believe that it is continuous with mid brain
• It is now believed that hagfish neuroanatomy is similar to that of lampreys
. Common feature of both is absence of myelin in neurons
 Eye
• Lacks a lens
• Eye spot can detect light but none can resolve detailed images
 Circulation and fluid balance
• Are known to have one of the lowest blood pressures among vertebrates
• Circulatory system also consist of multiple accessory pumps throughout
the body which are considered auxiliary hearts
• Only known vertebrates with osmoregulation isosmotic to their external
environment
 Reproduction
• Females lay from 1 to 30 tough yolky eggs
• Do not have larval stage in contrast to lampreys
which have a long one
• Take as long as 11 months before hatching
 Commercial use
• As food not often eaten but eaten in Korea
• Skin in variety of clothing accessories referred to as eel skin . It produces
a durable leather suitable for wallets and belts
 Lampreys
Introduction and characteristics
 Introduction
• Lampreys derived from Latin word meaning stone licker
• Feed by boring into flesh of other fish to suck their blood
 Use in research
• Used as model organism in biomedical research
• Axons of lampreys are particularly large and allow for microinjection of
substances for experimental manipulation
 In human culture
• As food
• As pests