Leptocardii |
Not assigned |
Branchiostomidae
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Benthic; brackish; depth range 7 - 9 m (Ref. 2851). Subtropical; 70°N - 6°N, 18°W - 78°E
Northeast Atlantic, Western Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean.
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Depth based on occurrence (Ref. 2851, p. 719); to be replaced with a better reference. Inhabit areas influenced by outflows from estuaries (Ref. 96507). Widely spread along the coastal zone in the North Sea off Belgium. Often found buried in coarse sediment with less than 10% mud content. Is able to cover small distances with the use of its extensive fins. Fine tentacle surrounding its mouth aid in gathering food (Ref. 7882). Non-selective suspension feeder; feeds on detritus, phytoplankton and copepods (Ref. 1435).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Members of the class Cephalochordata are gonochoric. Life cycle: Eggs develop into planktotrophic larva and later on to benthic adults.
Alves, F., L. Chicharo, A. Nogueira and J. Regala 2003 Changes in benthic community structure due to clam dreging on the Algarve coast and the importance of seasonal analysis. J. Mar. Biol. Ass. U.K. 83:719-729. (Ref. 2851)
IUCN Red List Status
(Ref. 130435: Version 2025-1)
CITES status (Ref. 108899)
Not Evaluated
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Human uses
| FishSource |
Tools
More information
Trophic EcologyFood items (preys)
Diet composition
Food consumption
Predators
Population dynamicsGrowth
Max. ages / sizes
Length-weight rel.
Length-length rel.
Length-frequencies
Mass conversion
Abundance
Life cycleReproductionMaturityFecunditySpawningEggsEgg developmentLarvae PhysiologyOxygen consumption
Human RelatedStamps, coins, misc.
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature
(Ref.
115969): 8.9 - 16.1, mean 10.8 (based on 414 cells).
Price category
Unknown.
