Cephalodiscus gilchristi is a sessile hemichordate belonging to the order Cephalodiscida. It is found in South Africa in 1908.
The parasitic copepod Zanclopus cephalodisci has been found in the intestines of Cephalodiscus gilchristi.
Cephalostatin-1, is a steroidic 13-ringed pyrazine with the empirical formula C<sub>54</sub>H<sub>74</sub>N<sub>2</sub>O<sub>10</sub> that was isolated from Cephalodiscus gilchristi. It is a potent anti-cancer agent that causes cell death in the subnanomolar to picomolar ranges via an atypical apoptosis pathway.