The lancelets (from "lancet"), also known as amphioxi, comprise some 22 species of fish-like marine chordates with a global distribution in shallowtemperate (as far north as Scotland)[2] and tropical seas, usually found half-buried in sand. They are the modern representatives of the subphylumCephalochordata, formerly thought to be the sister group of the craniates. [3] InAsia, they are harvested commercially as food for humans and domesticated animals. They are an important object of study in zoology as they provide indications about the origins of the vertebrates. Lancelets serve as an intriguing comparison point for tracing how vertebrates have evolved and adapted. Although lancelets split from vertebrates more than 520 million years ago, their genomes hold clues about evolution, particularly how vertebrates have employed old genes for new functions.[4] They are regarded as similar to the archetypal vertebrate form.
The genome of the Florida lancelet (Branchiostoma floridae) has been sequenced.[5]
![(Leptocardii_order - MT_TCI_1667) @11 [ ] CreativeCommons Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alike (2024) Michelle Taylor University of Aberdeen](https://892685.ixgpkh.asia/pics/_w70/TCICR/MT_TCI_1667%2B1690158078.jpg "(Leptocardii_order - MT_TCI_1667) {} [ ] CreativeCommons Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alike (2024)")
