| Entosiphon | |
|---|---|
|   | |
| Differencial interference contrast micrograph of Entosiphon oblongum. Scale bar: 10 μm. | |
|  Scientific classification   | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota | 
| Clade: | Discoba | 
| Phylum: | Euglenozoa | 
| Class: | Euglenida | 
| Family: |  Entosiphonidae  Cavalier-Smith 2016 [1]  | 
| Genus: |  Entosiphon  Stein 1878 [2]  | 
| Type species | |
|  Entosiphon sulcatum  (Dujardin 1841) Stein 1878  | |
| Other species | |
Entosiphon is a genus of euglenids. It was described by Friedrich Stein in 1878.
Entosiphon is a genus of phagotrophic euglenids, single-celled flagellates with two flagella characterized by a protein pellicle present beneath the cell membrane. In particular, Entosiphon cells are distinguished by a protrusible ingestion apparatus. Their pellicle is composed of twelve protein strips. [3]
The genus Entosiphon was described by Friedrich Stein in 1878. It was established to transfer a species of Anisonema , A. sulcata, to a separate genus, which changed the original spelling of this species to E. sulcatum. [2] A second species, E. oblongum, was described in 2016. [4] The genus was placed in a separate family Entosiphonidae the same year. [1]
The evolutionary position of Entosiphon among euglenids is unstable, either branching with Hemiolia and Liburna or forming a separate branch, depending on the methods and datasets used. In all cases, it consistently branches among basal, non-flexible euglenids, outside of any major euglenid group. [3] [5]