Question

Mouth of Herdmania is
A. Atrial aperture
B. Excurrent aperture
C. Branchial aperture
D. Both A and B

Answer 1

Hint: Mouth is the body part which helps the chordates to engulf the food. They are the vertebrates with spinal cord and dorsal nerve cells. They have jaws and skeletons of cartilage. Tunicates are the organisms which can squeeze the tunic by forcing a jet out of the body. Herdmania has branchial siphon which is at the anterior end of the body.

Complete answer:
Herdmania is a urochordate. They are the marine invertebrates. They belong to the chordate, with dorsal nerve cords. They have a non-coelomic body. They have more than two cell layers. It is potato-shaped and pinkish.

It has two projections, branchial and atrial siphons. Both the openings are bounded by four lips. It has a matrix made of tunicin (cellulose). It has 3 layers- epidermis, mesenchyme and inner epidermis. They have many features which help them to survive.

Let us learn about their jaw openings given in the options.
> Option A. Atrial aperture: They are present on the dorsal side of the body. They are not the mouth part.
> Option B. Excurrent aperture: It is present in the nasal tracts. They are not present at herdsman.
> Option C. Branchial aperture: It is located at the anterior end of the body and represents the mouth.

Hence, The correct answer is option (C).

Note: They are the ascidians, called sea squirts. They can squirt the water from their body. Their body wall is a Mantle. This thick, vascular and muscular wall is in the anterodorsal region of the body. It has epidermis, mesenchyme and inner epidermis.