Definition, Meaning & Synonyms

deuterostome

Noun

/ˌdjuːtəroʊˈstoʊm/

Definition

A group of animals characterized by their developmental process, where the mouth forms secondarily, and the anus develops from the blastopore.

Examples

Starfish and sea urchins are examples of deuterostomes.
In studying evolutionary biology, deuterostomes are often compared to protostomes.
The deuterostome development is crucial for understanding the evolutionary relationships among various animal phyla.

Meaning

Deuterostomes are a clade of animals that undergo a specific type of embryonic development. In this process, the first opening that forms in the embryo becomes the anus, while the mouth forms later.