Ptychoderidae Spengel

Cameron, Christopher B. & Ostiguy, Angélica, 2013, Three new species of Glossobalanus (Hemichordata: Enteropneusta: Ptychoderidae) from western North America, Zootaxa 3630 (1), pp. 143-154 : 144

Ptychoderidae Spengel : van der Horst 1939.

Diagnosis. The occurrence of lateral septa in the trunk and the invariable absence of abdominal pores characterize this family. There is no vermiform process to the stomochord. Dorsal nerve roots in the collar are present and the skeletal cornua rarely reach beyond the anterior half of the collar. Synapticulae form bridges between the primary and secondary gill bars in the pharynx, and hepatic caeca are usually present. There are dorsolateral ciliated grooves in the abdominal part of the alimentary canal. The circular muscle fibers in the trunk are usually outside the longitudinal fibers. Development occurs through a typical tornaria larva.

Remarks. Species of all three genera included in this family, namely, Ptychodera , Glossobalanus and Balanoglossus , have been collected from the area under consideration.