Class Agnatha

Integumentary System Hagfish average about 0.5 meters (19.7 in) in length. The largest known species is Eptatretus goliath with a specimen recorded at 127 cm (4 ft 2 in), while Myxine kuoi and Myxine pequenoi seem to reach no more than 18 cm (7.1 in) (some have been seen as small as 4 cm (1.6 in). Hagfish have elongated, eel-like bodies, and paddle-like tails. They have cartilaginous skulls (although the part surrounding the brain is composed primarily of a fibrous sheath) and tooth-like structures composed of keratin. Color varies from brownto gray. Eyes are simple eyespots, not compound eyes that can resolve images. Hagfish have no true fins and have six or eight barbels around the mouth and a single nostril. Instead of vertically articulating jaws like Gnathostomata (vertebrates with jaws), they have a pair of horizontally moving structures with tooth-like projections for pulling off food. The mouth of the hagfish has two pairs of horny, comb-shaped teeth on a cartilaginous plate that protracts and retracts. These teeth are used to grasp food and draw it toward the pharynx. Hagfish are long and vermiform, and can exude copious quantities of a milky and fibrous slime or mucus from some 100 glands or invaginations running along its flanks.[4] The typical species Myxine glutinosa was named for this slime. When captured and held, e.g., by the tail, they secrete the microfibrous slime, which expands into up to 20 litres (5 gallons) of gelatinous and sticky goo when combined with water. [5] If they remain captured, they can tie themselves in an overhand knot which works its way from the head to the tail of the animal, scraping off the slime as it goes and freeing them from their captor, as well as the slime. It has been conjectured that this singular behavior assists them in extricating themselves from the jaws of predatory fish or from the interior of their own "prey", and that the "sliming" might act as a distraction to predators. Respiratory System Hagfish generally respire through taking in water through their pharynx, past the velar chamber and bringing the water through 6 internal gill pouches. The gill pouches lead to a common aperture on the ventral side of the hagfish. The esophagus is also connected to the common aperture on the ventral side through a pharyngocutaneous duct (esophageocutaneous duct), which has no respiratory tissue. It is likely that this pharyngocutaneous duct is used to cough up indigestible materials. Hagfish also have some cutaneous respiration via the blood sinuses under their skin. This can be essential for hagfish to respire while feeding, since they do not have opercula to beat to produce current across the gills (as in the case of teleost fish).

SKELETAL SYSTEM The skeleton of a lamprey is entirely cartilaginous and not well developed. The cranial endoskeleton consists of several prominent cartilages forming olfactory and otic capsules and the piston cartilage, which helps to manipulate the tongue. Annular cartilage- it is the main skeletal element of the oral funnel which supports the buccal area. Lingual cartilage- supports the rasping tongue. Branchial basket- a network of cartilages supporting the pharyngeal region. Pericardial cartilage- hemispherical cartilage at the posterior end of the branchial basket. Their pharyngeal skeleton differs from other derived fishes because the structure is a connected network, rather than relatively separate and articulated arches. Another is that the branchial basket lies superficially, lateral to the gills and thus just beneath the skin. Lastly, the pericardial cartilage is connected to the branchial basket. The notochord serves as the axial support of the body which extends from beneath the posterior half of the brain to the tip of the tail. True vertebrae are absent but are represented by small cartilaginous structures called, arcualia.

MUSCULAR SYSTEM Myomeres- blocks of axial musculature dorsal to the spinal chord which are separated from each other by connective tissue sheets called myosepta. Viewed from the lateral surface, the myomeres are folded into W-shaped, zigzag blocks. Contraction of the myomeres on one side of the body flexes the body toward that side, and alternating contraction of the myomeres on opposite sides of the body produces the characteristic side-to-side swimming motion of fishes. The horizontal septum is absent in lampreys but is present in all gnathostome fishes, where it divides the myomeres into epaxial (dorsal) and hypaxial (ventral) muscle masses. Lingual muscles- muscles that extend ventrally and caudally from the tongue that they control.

Digestive System In Agnatha, it is consists of alimentary canal, meaning it runs from the mouth to the anus. They do not have a distinct stomach. Their intestines act as the site of the emulsification, digestion and absorption of nutrients. The digestive enzymes are released into the anterior intestine and mucus is secreted into the posterior intestines. The latter portion of the intestine digests, bacteria, reabsorbs water and form feces. The last section of the intestine narrows to form an exit called the anus. The resulting solid wastes leave the body at this point.

Circulatory System An Agnatha circulatory system represents the circulatory system that is exhibited by gillbreathing vertebrates such as the fishes. The heart resides in a portion of the coelom called the pericardial cavity. Inside the heart are four chambers sinus venosus, atrium, ventricle, conus arteriosus wherein the blood flows sequentially. The non-muscular valves prevent the backflow of blood. There is also no separate coronary blood supply so the heart must obtain oxygen from the blood as it goes through. After leaving the conus arteriosus, blood is then distributed to the ventral aorta. Eight branches emerge from the ventral aorta which splits into two. Oxygenated blood from the gills is then collected into eight efferent vessels which join to form the dorsal aorta. Blood collected from the gills is distributed to the head through the carotid artery and to the trunk and tail via the dorsal aorta and caudal artery.

Urogenital Hagfish have a mesonephric kidney and are often neotenic of their pronephric kidney. The kidney(s) are drained via mesonephric/archinephric duct. Unlike many other vertebrates, this duct is separate from the reproductive tract. Unlike all other vertebrates, the proximal tubule of the nephron is also connected with thecoelom, provided lubrication. The single testicle or ovary has no transportation duct. Instead, the gametes are released into the coelom until they find their way to the posterior end of the caudal region, whereby they find an opening in the digestive system.

Nervous System The spinal cord is located just dorsal to the notochord, consistent with the basic chordate body plan. Their brain exhibits the basic vertebrate organization, with an immense concentration of neurons in the head. The forebrain regions, associated with smell, and the midbrain region, associated with vision, are well-developed. The cerebellum and hindbrain, associated with taste and acousticolateral systems, are both small. The medulla oblongata is one of the largest brain regions that controls the extensive musculature associated with sucking. They possess ten pairs of cranial nerves that provide sensory information to the brain and send motor signals out to muscles of the head and pharynx. The ventral and dorsal roots of the spinal nerves do not join lateral to the spinal cord and all the nerves are unmyelinated. The pineal gland,located in the middorsal head and function as a light-sensing third eye and is well developed in lampreys. The gland appears to control to fluctuations in body color between night and day.

Submitted by: Group 1: Aldon, Mark Echipare, Rainier Egagamao, Joselyn Repas, Jasmine

Submitted to: Prof. Fe Corazon Jacinto