Domain Eukaryota Rank Subclass | Phylum Ciliophora | |
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Similar Spirotrich, Oxytricha, Choreotrich, Hypotrich, Oligotrich | ||
Unidentified stichotrichs or hypotrichs
The stichotrichs are a group of ciliates, included among the spirotrichs. Like the hypotrichs, with which they were originally classified, they have body cilia fused into cirri, but these are mostly arranged into rows, running along the ventral surface or edges of the cell. Most stichotrichs are flattened and reasonably flexible. Stylonychia and Oxytricha are representative genera. Some evidence suggests that the hypotrichs may be paraphyletic to them, and that they in turn may be paraphyletic to the oligotrichs.
Contents
Stichotrich cirri high magnification
Etymology
The term stichotrich derives from the ancient greek στίχος (stíkhos), meaning "row", and θρίξ, τριχός (thríks, trikhós), meaning 'hair', because of the arrangement into rows of the cilia.
Genomics
The draft macronuclear genome of Oxytricha trifallax was published in 2013.