Qinhuangdao Sea Amphioxus Taxonomic Status

Amphioxus is one of the oldest, the most precious marine animals. It is called the living fossil in the process of evolution from invertebrate to vertebrate, and it has high academic research value and economic value. The Amphioxus of the waters of Qinhuangdao, which is found late, is mainly distributed in Changli waters of Qinhuangdao. Its distribution area and its quantity are large to a rare degree in the world. The paper ,taking the traditional criteria of Amphioxus classification as reference, compares the Amphioxus samples of Qinhuangdao with those of other main growing areas from the characteristics of living ecological environment and of morphology, and from the perspective of isoenzymic system. The results are as the following: 1. The living ecological environment characteristics of the Amphioxus of Qinhuangdao, Qingdao and Xiamen is basically similar; its main morphological characteristics conform to the characteristics of Branchiostoma belcheri Gray, 1847. From the perspective of isoenzymic system of Esterase(EST) and SP, the Amplzioxus samples have hardly difference. So the Arnphioxus samples belong to the same species ranchiostoma belcheri Gray, 1847. 2. From the perspective of isoenzymic system and many morphological characteristics such as the number of myotones and the number of ventral septa, the Amphioxus of Qinhuangdao and the Arnphioxus of Qingdao are very similar. So ifs suitable to regard the Amphioxus of Qinhuangdao belongs to the Amphioxus: Branchiostoma belcheri tsingtaoense Tchang et Koo, 1936.