Mantamonads are a group of free-living heterotrophic flagellates that move primarily by gliding on surfaces (rather than swimming). They are classified as one genus Mantamonas in the monotypic family Mantamonadidae, order Mantamonadida and class Glissodiscea. Previously, they were classified in Apusozoa as sister of the Apusomonadida on the basis of rRNA analyses. However, mantamonads are currently placed in CRuMs on the basis of phylogenomic analyses that identify their closest relatives as the Diphylleida and Rigifilida.
GENUS
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Mantamonads are a group of free-living heterotrophic flagellates that move primarily by gliding on surfaces (rather than swimming). They are classified as one genus Mantamonas in the monotypic family Mantamonadidae, order Mantamonadida and class Glissodiscea. Previously, they were classified in Apusozoa as sister of the Apusomonadida on the basis of rRNA analyses. However, mantamonads are currently placed in CRuMs on the basis of phylogenomic analyses that identify their closest relatives as the Diphylleida and Rigifilida.
==Morphology== Mantamonas are heterotrophic unicellular protists. Their cells are flattened, relatively plastic and asymmetric. They have one thin anterior flagellum and one conspicuous posterior flagellum, on which they glide. The cells have a right hump, likely caused by the nucleus, and a blunt projection on the left side. They are typically 2 μm thick, 5 μm long and 5 μm wide, but vary in size and shape depending on their growth phase and the bacterial density in the medium. When wide-shaped, they present lateral "wings" that resemble the fins of a manta ray (hence the name Mantamonas).
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