Armophorea

Metopus contortus, from Proyecto Agua.

Belongs within: Intramacronucleata.

The Armophorea is a group of free-living and endosymbiotic ciliates supported as a clade by molecular analysis. Morphological synapomorphies of the Armophorea have not been identified, though all members of the clade possess hydrogenosomes (Lynn 2003).

Armophorea [Armophorina]
    |--Brachonella HH01
    `--+--Metopus HH01
       |    |--M. contortus WC02
       |    |--M. minor FS-K03
       |    |--M. palaeformis HH01
       |    `--M. striatus HH01
       `--+--Nyctotheroides HH01
          |    |--N. deslierresae HH01
          |    `--N. parvus HH01
          `--Nyctotherus HH01
               |--N. cordiformis WC02
               |--N. ovalis WC02
               `--N. velox WC02

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[FS-K03] Foissner, W., M. Strüder-Kypke, G. W. M. van der Staay, S. Y. Moon-van der Staay & J. H. P. Hackstein. 2003. Endemic ciliates (Protozoa, Ciliophora) from tank bromeliads (Bromeliaceae): A combined morphological, molecular, and ecological study. European Journal of Protistology 39 (4): 365-372.

[HH01] Hackstein, J. H. P., A. H. A. M. van Hoek, J. A. M. Leunissen & M. Huynen. 2001. Anaerobic ciliates and their methanogenic endosymbionts. In Symbiosis: Mechanisms and Model Systems (J. Seckbach, ed.) pp. 451-464. Kluwer Academic Publishers: Doordrecht (The Netherlands).

Lynn, D. H. 2003. Morphology or molecules: How do we identify the major lineages of ciliates (Phylum Ciliophora)? European Journal of Protistology 39: 356-364.

[WC02] Wright, A.-D. G., & A. Colorni. 2002. Taxonomic re-assignment of Cryptocaryon irritans, a marine fish parasite. European Journal of Protistology 37: 375-378.