Question

Name the phylum in which pharyngeal gill slits are present.

Answer 1

Pharyngeal Gill Slits:

1. Pharyngeal gill slits are a chordate feature.
2. These are openings between the pharynx to the outside.
3. In primitive chordates, these slits are used to filter food particles from the water. In fishes and some amphibians, the slits bear gills and are used for gas exchange.
4. In most land- living chordates, the "gill slits" are present only in embryonic stages; that is we had pharyngeal slits at one time.
5. The slits are supported by gill arches, which have also been highly modified in various groups of vertebrates.

Final Answer: Chordate is the phylum in which pharyngeal gill slits are present.