Article
Article
Holotrichia
Article By:
Corliss, John O. Department of Zoology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland.
Last reviewed:January 2017
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.321200
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- Holotrichia, published June 2014:Download PDF
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A former order or subclass of ciliated protozoa. The protozoan order or subclass known as Holotrichia (also spelled Holotricha) is no longer a valid taxon. However, the word holotrich is still used as a descriptive term to identify protozoa with a fairly uniform body ciliation. Several thousand species were once classified in the Holotrichia, including groups of the most primitive ciliates living today. Former members of this invalid grouping have now been assigned to other orders, including Apostomatida, Astomatida, Hymenostomatida, and Thigmotrichida, belonging to the phylum Ciliophora. The prototype of a holotrich organism is exemplified by the form portrayed in the illustration. [Note that the protozoan Holotrichia should not be confused with a genus of beetles also known as Holotrichia (order Coleoptera)]. See also: Apostomatida; Astomatida; Ciliophora; Hymenostomatida; Protozoa
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