Meteora sporadica | |
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Drawing of a Meteora sporadica individual | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Genus: | Meteora |
Species: | M. sporadica |
Binomial name | |
Meteora sporadica Hausmann, Weitere, Wolf & Arndt 2002 |
Meteora sporadica is a mysterious free-living protozoan discovered in 2002 during sampling at a depth of 1,230 meters below sea level in the Sporades Basin, part of the Mediterranean Sea. So far it is the only species of the genus Meteora.
It was placed as Protista incertae sedis due to its unique morphology unlike any other group of protists. Two decades later, a 2022 phylogenetic analysis of Meteora still was not able to solidly relate it to any known group of eukaryotes, suggesting that it could be a new high-level eukaryotic group. In 2024 it was revealed to be related to Hemimastigophora.
The cell body is colorless and ovular. It ranges between 3.0 and 4.4 μm in length and 2.0–4.0 μm in width. It has two lateral arm-like appendages and two axial appendages. The lateral appendages move independently of each other in a rowing motion.
References
- ^ Hausmann K, Weitere M, Wolf M, Arndt H (2002). "Meteora sporadica gen. nov. et sp. nov. (Protista incertae sedis) – an extraordinary free-living protist from the Mediterranean deep sea". Eur. J. Protistol. 38 (2): 171–177. doi:10.1078/0932-4739-00872.
- Galindo, Luis Javier; López-García, Purificación; Moreira, David (2022). "First Molecular Characterization of the Elusive Marine Protist Meteora sporadica". Protist. 173 (4): 125896. doi:10.1016/j.protis.2022.125896. ISSN 1434-4610. PMID 35841658. S2CID 250059723.
- Eglit, Yana; Shiratori, Takashi; Jerlström-Hultqvist, Jon; Williamson, Kelsey; Roger, Andrew J.; Ishida, Ken-Ichiro; Simpson, Alastair G.B. (January 2024). "Meteora sporadica, a protist with incredible cell architecture, is related to Hemimastigophora". Current Biology. 34 (2): 451–459.e6. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2023.12.032. PMID 38262350.
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Incertae sedis |
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