Minorisa minuta
| Minorisa minuta | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Clade: | Sar |
| Clade: | Rhizaria |
| Phylum: | Cercozoa |
| Class: | Chlorarachnea |
| Order: | Minorisida |
| Family: | Minorisidae |
| Genus: | Minorisa |
| Species: | M. minuta
|
| Binomial name | |
| Minorisa minuta Del Campo, 2013[1]
| |
Minorisa minuta is a species of marine heterotrophic flagellates that is heavily featured in the eukaryotic picoplankton of coastal ecosystems.[1]
Etymology
The generic name Minorisa comes from the town Manresa, the birthplace of Javier del Campo, who first described the genus in 2013.[1] The specific epithet minuta, Latin for tiny, refers to the small size of the organism.[1]
Description of organism
Morphology and anatomy
Minorisa minuta is a unicellular organism with naked and spherical, ellipsoid or ovoid cells.[1] They are minuscule, only 1–2.9 micrometers long and 0.8–2.3 micrometers wide.[2] It possesses a single flagellum that can be up to four times its length.[1] Minorisa swims by rotating along its longitudinal axis.
Life cycle
Minorisa minuta has an amoeboid life stage. This amoeboid stage has lobose and extrusive pseudopodia.[2]
Genetics and phylogeny
Molecular phylogenetics places Minorisa minuta at the base of the Chlorarachniophytes.[1] Minorisa is the only heterotrophic representative within the Chlorarachniophytes, which is the only photosynthetic group within the supergroup Rhizaria.[1] It is unknown whether Minorisa posteriorly lost the plastid or whether the lack of a plastid in Minorisa indicates a second instance of acquisition of a green plastid independently in Chlorarachniophytes.[1]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i del Campo, Javier; Not, Fabrice; Forn, Irene; Sieracki, Michael E.; Massana, Ramon (2013). "Taming the smallest predators of the oceans". The ISME Journal. 7 (2): 351–358. doi:10.1038/ismej.2012.85. ISSN 1751-7370. PMC 3554395. PMID 22810060.
- ^ a b Shiratori, Takashi; Kato, Yuta; Ishida, Ken-Ichiro (2024). "Molecular and morphological characterization of three novel Minorisa species (Chlorarachnea) and proposal for an emended description of the Minorisa minuta". Phycological Research. 72: 27–35. doi:10.1111/pre.12533.