Collodictyonidae


Collodictyonidae is a group of aquatic, unicellular eukaryotic organisms with two to four terminal flagella. They feed by phagocytosis, ingesting other unicellular organisms like algae and bacteria. The most remarkable fact of this clade is its uncertain position in the tree of life. A recent phylogenomic analysis places it either as sister group of the excavate protist Malawimonas or as sister group of the Bikonta clade, although both positions received considerably low branch support values. This means that Collodictyonidae is somewhere near the root of the Eukaryote tree, probably close to the unikont–bikont bifurcation.
Recent molecular analyses place Collodictyonids ins a clade also containing Rigifilida and Mantamonadidae. This clade has been name CRuMs and is sister to Amorphea.

Phylogeny

Taxonomy