Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 19, 2026

Aphagea

Aphagea is a group of obligate osmotrophic protists. They are euglenids, flagellates with two flagella and a relatively flexible cell shape underlined with protein strips. Unlike other euglenids, they feed only by osmotrophy, and lack any specialized structure for ingestion. Their closest living relative is Neometanema, a genus of phagotrophic (ingestion-feeding) euglenids, together forming the taxon Natomonadida.

Last revised
Jun 19, 2026
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≈ 1 min
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Wikipedia ↗
Aphagea
Astasia kathemerios
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Clade: Discoba
Phylum: Euglenozoa
Class: Euglenida
Order: Natomonadida
Clade: Aphagea
Cavalier-Smith 1993 emend. Busse & Preisfeld 2003
Genera12
  • Distigmidae
    • Distigma
  • Astasiidae
    • Astasia
    • Gyropaigne
    • Menoidium
    • Parmidium
    • Rhabdomonas
Synonyms
  • Rhabdomonadina Leedale, 1967 emend. Cavalier-Smith, 1993

Aphagea is a group of obligate osmotrophic protists. They are euglenids, flagellates with two flagella and a relatively flexible cell shape underlined with protein strips. Unlike other euglenids, they feed only by osmotrophy, and lack any specialized structure for ingestion.3 Their closest living relative is Neometanema, a genus of phagotrophic (ingestion-feeding) euglenids, together forming the taxon Natomonadida.1

References

References

  1. Lax, G.; Kolisko, M.; Eglit, Y.; Lee, W.J.; Yubuki, N.; et al. (June 2021). "Multigene phylogenetics of euglenids based on single-cell transcriptomics of diverse phagotrophs". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 159 107088. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2021.107088. PMID 33545276.
  2. Cavalier-Smith, Thomas (2016-10-01). "Higher classification and phylogeny of Euglenozoa". European Journal of Protistology. 56: 250–276. doi:10.1016/j.ejop.2016.09.003. ISSN 0932-4739.
  3. Kostygov, Alexei Y.; Karnkowska, Anna; Votýpka, Jan; Tashyreva, Daria; Maciszewski, Kacper; et al. (2021). "Euglenozoa: taxonomy, diversity and ecology, symbioses and viruses". Open Biology. 11 (3) 200407. doi:10.1098/rsob.200407. PMC 8061765. PMID 33715388.