Taxonomy and molecular phylogeny of nassulid ciliates (Alveolata, Ciliophora) with descriptions of one new genus and three new species.

ABSTRACT:

Background

As unicellular eukaryotes, ciliates are indispensable components of ecosystems, serving as an intermediate nutrition link between bacteria or algae and meiofauna. The class Nassophorea Small and Lynn, 1981 is a group of morphologically specialized ciliates characterized by a basket-like cytopharynx supported by thick microtubular rods, which are algivorous and thus act as primary consumers in ecosystems. In the present study, the morphology and molecular phylogeny of three new nassulid ciliates were studied based on morphological and small subunit ribosomal ribonucleic acid gene sequence data. The secondary structure of the V9 region of their 18S rRNA gene sequences was also analyzed to investigate their phylogenetic relationships.

Results

Based on morphological f

SUBMITTER: Sun Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12817880 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature