<i>Rhodelphis edaphicus</i> sp. nov.-a new lineage of predatory archaeplastids from agricultural soil.

ABSTRACT: Predatory flagellated protists remain extremely poorly studied but often represent the most important deep-branching lineages of eukaryotic evolution. One of the most enigmatic and poorly studied predatory protist groups is Rhodelphidia. These are heterotrophic flagellates, yet belong to the primarily photosynthetic supergroup Archaeplastida and are related to red algae in particular. Here, we describe a new rhodelphid species and the first known soil representative of this group, Rhodelphis edaphicus sp. nov., which was isolated into a clonal culture from agricultural soil. The novel species actively phagocytoses the cells of other protists and bacteria. Using light and electron microscopy, we examined its morphology and identified several novel features, including complex triparti

SUBMITTER: Belyaev AO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12495952 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature