gill slit

Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Wikipedia.

gill slit

(gĭl)

1. One of several narrow external openings connecting with the pharynx, characteristic of sharks and related fishes, through which water passes to the exterior, thereby bathing the gills. Also called branchial cleft, gill cleft.

2. Embryology One of several rudimentary invaginations in the surface of the embryo, present during development of all air-breathing vertebrates and corresponding to the functional gill slits of aquatic species. Also called branchial cleft, branchial groove, pharyngeal cleft, pharyngeal groove.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

gill slit

(Zoology) any of a series of paired linear openings to the exterior from the sides of the pharynx in fishes and some amphibians. They contain the gills

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Switch to new thesaurus

Noun

gill slit - one of a series of slit openings in the pharynxes of fishes and aquatic amphibians through which water passes

branchial cleft, gill cleft

anatomical structure, bodily structure, body structure, complex body part, structure - a particular complex anatomical part of a living thing; "he has good bone structure"

References in periodicals archive ?

The gills have frilly edges, and the first gill slit runs continuously across the shark's throat, making it unique among sharks to have this physical characteristic.

Photos, Video of Deep-Sea Prehistoric Frilled Shark

A long-finned eel, with the dorsal fin originating well ahead of the anal (anodorsal distance = 9-17% of total length) but closer to the anus than to the gill slit. It has a large mouth with thick lips and fine teeth that form an arrow shape; the length of the vomerine tooth band is about 73-74% of the length of the maxillary bands.

Long-finned eel: Anguilla mossambica Peters, 1852

The intermediate degree of gill slit deflection in the hybrid cephalochordates would be particularly interesting to study because of existing background information on pharyngeal patterning in Branchiostoma species (Holland and Holland, 1996; Escriva et al, 2002; Schubert et al., 2005; Kozmik et al, 2007; Koop et al., 2010, 2014).

Hybrids between the Florida amphioxus (Branchiostoma floridae) and the Bahamas lancelet (Asymmetron lucayanum): developmental morphology and chromosome counts

A single gill slit was present on each side of the body.

Three-toed Amphiuma (Amphiuma tridactylum) in Southwestern Indiana

Etmopterus joungi has relatively evenly-sized gill slit heights, whereas the gills of the type specimens of E.

Etmopterus joungi n. sp., a new species of lanternshark (Squaliformes: Etmopteridae) from Taiwan

5X, arrow) where the first gill slit will open, just to the left of the ventral midline.

Laboratory spawning and development of the Bahama lancelet, Asymmetron lucayanum (Cephalochordata): fertilization through feeding larvae

The gill slit skeletal bars are commonly opaque, but in 1 of every 10 animals, they are pigmented black.

The anatomy, life habits, and later development of a new species of enteropneust, Harrimania planktophilus (hemichordata: Harrimaniidae) from barkley sound

cerdale holotype term embryo immature Total length cm 55.7 27.7 101.0 Tip of snout to 1st Dorsal origin 34.4 35.0 30.7 2nd Dorsal origin 65.5 63.9 64.6 Upper caudal origin 75.4 74.4 75.8 Lower caudal origin 73.4 72.9 75.4 Anal fin origin 60.7 61.4 64.6 Pelvic fin origin 48.5 48.7 50.1 Pectoral fin origin 24.2 27.4 23.2 Gill slit #1 (top) 29.7 23.5 19.0 Gill slit #5 (top) 25.6 28.5 24.2 Eye origin 8.0 10.5 7.0 Mouth origin 8.6 11.2 8.2 External naris (lateral 4.8 6.5 3.3 end) First dorsal fin Anterior margin 11.3 11.6 14.7 Height 8.6 7.6 10.4 Base length 9.0 8.3 10.7 Free inner margin 4.7 4.7 5.6 Dist.

Resurrection of the name Carcharhinus cerdale, a species different from Carcharhinus porosus

Gill openings elongate S-shaped, forming weakly fringed lobe laterally; length of first gill slit 1.13 (1.22) times length of fifth gill slit, 2.91 (3.35) times in mouth width; distance between first gill slits 2.07 (2.29) times internarial space, 0.43 (0.45) times ventral head length; distance between fifth gill slits 1.16 (1.21) times internasal distance, 0.24 (0.24) times ventral head length.

Neotrygon ningalooensis n. sp. (Myliobatoidei: Dasyatidae), a new maskray from Australia

In one observation, a rudimentary blood vessel could be demonstrated by electron microscopy in the expanded ecm space below the notochord of a larva with one primary gill slit [ILLUSTRATION FOR FIGURE 1B OMITTED].

Coelomic cavities may function as a vascular system in amphioxus larvae

lA); ventral surface dark brown with patches of white around mouth, gill slits, and cloaca, white band at base of tail; clasper tips white; caudal filament with dark dorsal ridge, pale to translucent ventrally (Fig.

RANGE EXTENSIONS AND NEW RECORDS FROM ALASKA AND BRITISH COLUMBIA FOR TWO SKATES, BATHYRAJA SPINOSISSIMA AND BATHYRAJA MICROTRACHYS

Recognisable by the six pairs of long gill slits on each side of their head, this shark can grow up to 16ft.