Hemichordata Classification — NEET Biology
📚 Practice ConceptHemichordata was earlier considered as a sub-phylum under phylum Chordata. But now it is placed as a separate phylum under non-chordata. Hemichordates have a rudimentary structure in the collar region called stomochord, a structure similar to notochord.
Which of the following statements regarding the classification and features of Hemichordata and Chordata are correct? S1: Hemichordates are now classified as non-chordates primarily due to the absence of a true notochord. S2: The presence of pharyngeal gill slits is a unique characteristic observed exclusively in Chordates. S3: A true notochord, a definitive chordate feature, is mesodermally derived and persists throughout the life of organisms like Branchiostoma. S4: The rudimentary stomochord in Hemichordates serves as their primary excretory organ, similar to nephridia in Annelids. S5: While protochordates like Urochordata and Cephalochordata are exclusively marine, all vertebrates are not.
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