Kiitoksia
Genus of aquatic organisms
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kiitoksia is a genus of aquatic protist. The taxonomic position of the genus is still uncertain and it has not found a robust location in any subgroup.[3]
| Kiitoksia | |
|---|---|
| |
| Kiitoksia kaloista, phase contrast light micrograph of living cell, from Lake Crowley, Eastern Sierras (California); debris attached to short flagellum. | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Clade: | Sar |
| Clade: | Rhizaria |
| Phylum: | Cercozoa |
| Subphylum: | Filosa |
| Class: | Metromonadea |
| Order: | Metromonadida |
| Family: | Kiitoksiidae Cavalier-Smith in Cavalier-Smith & Scoble, 2013 |
| Genus: | Kiitoksia N.Vørs, 1992[1] |
| Type species | |
| Kiitoksia ystava Vørs 1992 | |
| Species[2] | |
| |
Two species are confidently known in the genus: Kiitoksia ystava and Kiitoksia kaloista. K. ystava was first discovered in Tvärminne in the Gulf of Finland. K. kaloista was discovered in Sombre Lake on Signy Island, near Antarctica. A third species, K. parva was transferred from the genus Clautriavia by Smith and Scoble [4]
The Kiitoksia species are single-celled organisms approximately 2-4 micrometres in size and round in shape. The species can be distinguished by their flagella: K. ystava has two flagella, one short and one long, while K. kaloista has one long flagellum.[3][5]
Name
"Kiitoksia" is a Finnish word for "thanks". The phrase "kiitoksia, ystävä" means "thank you, friend", while "kiitoksia kaloista" means "thanks for the fish". The latter name is a reference to the Douglas Adams novel, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish.