Branchiostoma

Branchiostoma is one of the few living genera of lancelets (order Amphioxiformes). It is the type genus of family Branchiostomatidae.

Branchiostoma
Branchiostoma lanceolatum from Belgium
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Subphylum:	Cephalochordata
Class:	Leptocardii
Family:	Branchiostomatidae
Genus:	Branchiostoma Costa, 1834
Type species
Branchiostoma lanceolatum (Pallas, 1774)
Diversity
About 11 species
Synonyms
Amphioxus Yarrel, 1836[1] Limax Pallas 1774 non von Linné 1758 non Férussac 1819 non Martyn 1784 Dolichorhynchus Willey 1901 non Mulk & Jairajpuri 1974 non Hedge & Kit-Tan 1987

These small vaguely eel- or snake-like animals are close relatives of vertebrates. The scientific name means "gill-mouth", referring to their anatomy – unlike vertebrates, they do not have a true head (with a skull capsule, eyes, nose, a well-developed brain etc.), but merely a mouth adjacent to the gill-slits, with the slightly enlarged anterior end of the dorsal nerve cord above and in front of them. It dislikes the light.

Branchiostoma grows to lengths of 50 to 60 millimeters in length.

Like all lancelets, they are filter feeders that hide in the sediment most of the time. The genus inhabits coastal waters throughout the world.