Kinetid Architecture and bicosoecid affinities of the marine heterotrophicnanoflagellate Caecitellus parvulus (Griessmann, 1913) Patterson el al, 1993

The kinetid of the common marine heterotrophic nanoflagellate Caecitellus p arvulus (Griessmann, 1913) Patterson et al., 1993 is essentially identical to those found in members of the stramenopile protist order Bicosoecida (= Bicosoecales) in absolute configuration, microtubular root characters, espe cially those of root R3, and the structure and arrangement of bands connect ing the basal bodies to each other and to the microtubular roots. Caecitell us parvulus, originally assigned to the bodonids (as Bodo parvulus), is the refore considered to be allied with the Bicosoecida. The characters disting uishing the genus Caecitellus from other bicosoecids include the presence o f gliding motility and a raptorial feeding mechanism, as well as the absenc e of flagellar hairs, a filter feeding mechanism, and the ability to adhere to substrate by the tip of the posterior flagellum. These results suggest that the stramenopile clade that includes bicosoecids and Caecitellus is li kely to contain much additional taxonomic, morphological and ecological div ersity.