noun
- A small, fish-like marine animal without a backbone, considered a primitive chordate and important in evolutionary studies.
Usage: biology; also called lancelet; plural: amphioxi or amphioxuses
Examples
- The amphioxus is a key organism in understanding the evolution of vertebrates.
- Scientists study amphioxus larvae to learn about early chordate development.
- Unlike fish, the amphioxus lacks a true backbone and skull.
- The amphioxus lives in shallow ocean sediments and filters food from water.
- Amphioxus specimens are commonly used in comparative anatomy courses.