Entosiphon
Genus of euglenids
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Entosiphon is a genus of euglenids. It was described by Friedrich Stein in 1878.
| Entosiphon | |
|---|---|
| |
| Differencial interference contrast micrograph of Entosiphon oblongum. Scale bar: 10 μm. | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Clade: | Discoba |
| Phylum: | Euglenozoa |
| Class: | Euglenida |
| Family: | Entosiphonidae Cavalier-Smith 2016[1] |
| Genus: | Entosiphon Stein 1878[2] |
| Type species | |
| Entosiphon sulcatum (Dujardin 1841) Stein 1878 | |
| Other species | |
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Description
Entosiphon is a genus of phagotrophic euglenids, single-celled flagellates with two flagella characterized by a protein pellicle present beneath the cell membrane. In particular, Entosiphon cells are distinguished by a protrusible ingestion apparatus. Their pellicle is composed of twelve protein strips.[3]
Classification
The genus Entosiphon was described by Friedrich Stein in 1878. It was established to transfer a species of Anisonema, A. sulcata, to a separate genus, which changed the original spelling of this species to E. sulcatum.[2] A second species, E. oblongum, was described in 2016.[4] The genus was placed in a separate family Entosiphonidae the same year.[1]
The evolutionary position of Entosiphon among euglenids is unstable, either branching with Hemiolia and Liburna or forming a separate branch, depending on the methods and datasets used. In all cases, it consistently branches among basal, non-flexible euglenids, outside of any major euglenid group.[3][5]