amphioxus

1 9.9

A small, transparent sea animal shaped like a thin lance that burrows in sand and resembles early animals with backbones

noun
/ˌæmfiˈɑːkəs/

Specialized

: anfioxo

In the sandy seabed, the amphioxus can be found burrowing to avoid predators.

And she looked in the amphioxus in order to see whether these genes exist or not.

Examples

The scientist studied the amphioxus to understand its evolutionary significance in the animal kingdom.
Researchers discovered that the amphioxus has traits similar to those of early vertebrates.
And she looked in the amphioxus in order to see whether these genes exist or not.

Harvard University

Synonyms

lancelet

vsamphioxus

Specialized

1 9.9

A small transparent sea animal that has a long thin body and is related to animals with backbones

is viewed as the direct ancestral form rather than only a relative

Surface Forms

amphioxus singular

amphioxi plural

Etymology

Amphioxus comes from Greek parts amphi- meaning 'both' and oxus meaning 'sharp'. So the name means 'sharp on both sides' and is a helpful way to remember this small, lance-shaped sea animal called a 'lancelet' that looks like a tiny spear and is studied as an early relative of animals with backbones.