The orientation of amphioxus during locomotion

✍ Scribed by Arey, Leslie B.

• Book ID: 102336031
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1915
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 413 KB
• Volume: 19
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-104X
• DOI: 10.1002/jez.1400190104

✦ Synopsis

Observers have differed regarding the question as to which end of Amphioxus is in advance during swimming. Rice ('80, p. 8) seems to have been the first to record observations on this subject:

These movements were executed sometimes upon the back, sometimes upon the abdomen in the position of ordinary fishes, it seemed to make very little difference which side was uppermost, but I have never seen them move backwards or tail-end foremost. After circumnavigating the vessel once or twice gradually moving slower and slower, they would stop and sink down upon the sand a t the bottom.