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Uro Chordata
Uro Chordata
Subphylum Urochordata
General characters (Gr. uros, tail; chorda, cord)
1. Exclusively marine and cosmopolitan, found in all seas and at all depths.
2. Mostly sedentary (fixed), some pelagic or free-swimming.
3. Simple (solitary), aggregated in groups or composite (colonial).
4. Size (0.25 to 250 mm), shape and colour variable.
5. About body degenerate, sac-like, unsegmented, without paired appendages and usually without
tail. 6. Body covered by a protective tunic or test composed largely of tunicine, (C6H10O5) n,
similar to cellulose, hence the name Tunicata.
7. A terminal branchial aperture and a dorsal atrial aperture usually present.
8. Coelom absent. Instead, an ectoderm-lined atrial cavity present which opens to outside through
atrial aperture.
9. Notochord present only in larval tail, hence the name Urochordata.
10. Alimentary canal complete. Pharynx (branchial sac) large, with endostyle and two to several
pairs of gill-slits. Ciliary feeders.
11. Respiration through test and gill-slits.
12. Blood-vascular system open. Heart simple, tubular and ventral. Flow of blood periodically
reversed. Special vanadocytes in blood extract vanadium from sea water.
13. Excretion by neural gland, pyloric gland and nephrocytes.
14. Dorsal tubular nerve cord only in larval stage, reduced to a single dorsal nerve ganglion in
adult.
15.Mostly hermaphrodite. Fertilization cross and external.
16. Development indirect including a free-swimming tailed larva with basic chordates characters.
Metamorphosis retrogressive.
17. Asexual reproduction by budding common.
Classification
Subphlum Urochordata or Tunicata includes about 2,000 fixed and nearly 100 pelagic species
exhibiting high degree of diversity. These have been variously classified by Herdman (1891),
Lahille, Garstang (1895), Perrier (1898), Hartmeyer (1909-11) and S.M. Das (1957). But these
have some drawbacks and are at times too complicated for students. The classification given below
has been adopted from Storer and Usinger as given in their book General Zoology of 1965 edition.
As usual, the subphylum Urochordata is divided into 3 classes.
I. Class Ascidiacea
1. Solidary, colonial or compound. Bottom living.
2. Body form and size variable.
3. Test permanent, well developed and thick.
4. Atrium opens dorsally by atriopore.
5. Pharynx large with many persistent gill-slits.
6. Sexes united. Larva free-swimming and highly developed.
1|P ag e
GDC UTTERSOO COMPILED BY MBR
2|P ag e
GDC UTTERSOO COMPILED BY MBR
3|P ag e
GDC UTTERSOO COMPILED BY MBR
Fig. Pyrosoma
4|P ag e