Feeding in tornaria larvae and the development of gill slits in enteropneust hemichordates

Abstract

The food-collecting and waste-rejecting systems of the tornaria larval stages of enteropneust hemichordates are similar to those of larval and adult lophophorates and adult pterobranch hemichordates. Water entering the oral grooves is deflected towards the mouth and the impetus of heavy, potentially inedible particles may take them across the flow lines of the water currents inferred from the movements of suspended particles to impinge on cilia which reject them into the outgoing water currents. Lighter, potentially edible material remaining suspended in the deflected water currents is intercepted by cilia on an oral hood which is similar in structure and function to the preoral lobe of the actinotroch larvae of phoronids. Excess water carried into the mouth by cilia on the dorsal surface of the esophagus is rejected via lateral grooves which develop into pouches prior to metamorphosis. Following metamorphosis the pouches make contact with the body wall to form gill slits which continue to allow water to escape from the pharynx. This finding that the function of allowing excess water to escape is performed by lateral grooves in the esophagus of tornariae supports previous speculations on the evolution of gill slits and provides further evidence for relationships between lophophorates, hemichordates, and chordates.