BIOCHEMICAL STUDIES OF PHYLOGENY 119 



In the spines and muscles of Echinocardium cordatum it was not 

 possible to detect any phosphagens at all. 



In the tube feet of the starfish Asterias glacialis there was only 

 AP present; this made up 76% and 73% of the total phosphate. 



(g) Protochordates 



In Balanoglossus salmoneus three readings were taken from 

 different parts of the body. These showed a range in values of 

 phosphagen of 14%, 16% and 42% of the total phosphate. In 

 the case where 42% of the phosphate was due to phosphagen it 

 was shown that 21% was due to CP whilst the other 21% was due 

 to AP. In the 14% of phosphagen the value was all due to CP 

 whilst the other case of 16% was all due to AP. 



The values given for Ascidia mentula were given as 22% and 

 12% of the total phosphate being due to phosphagen (AP). But 

 as the authors pointed out, from 7 g of tissue they obtained only 

 0-05 mg of total phosphate and 0-039 mg of inorganic phosphate, 

 hence the results were not very reliable. 



On page 289 of their paper, Needham et al. drew up the 

 following table. 



The animal kingdom could be subdivided into animals that had 



(1) No arginine phosphate: 



Coelenterata Anthea 



(2) Only AP: 



Coelenterata Pleurobrachia 



Platyhelminthia Planaria, Polycelis 



Nemertini Lineus 



Annelida Sabellaria, Spiro- 

 graphs, Nereis 



Cephalopoda Sepia, Octopus 



Echinodermata Synapta, Asterias 



Urochorda Ascidia 



(3) CPandAP: 



Echinodermata Strongylocentrotus 

 Hemichorda Balanoglossus 



(4) CPonly: 



Cephalochorda Amphioxus 

 Craniata Many species 



