The kathablepharids (also called katablepharids) are a group of
heterotrophicflagellates (Protists)[1] the first species of which was described by Skuja in 1939 as Kathablepharis phoenikoston, (p. 97).[2] His spelling was challenged because of non-compliance with botanical nomenclatural conditions, hence the alternative spelling Katablepharis. As the organism was heterotrophic and usually regarded as 'protozoan', and to favour stability, Skuja's original spelling has largely prevailed. With an anterior pocket and ejectisomes, the kathablepharids were thought initially to be cryptomonads. There were a variety of differences with Cryptomonas and other typical cryptomonads = cryptophytes, such as the thickness, length, and beat pattern of the flagella, their phagotrophic habitat, differences in the ejectisomes, and various features of their ultrastructure. The distinctive characteristics of the group were established from electron microscopical studies by Clay and Kugrens [3] and Vørs.[4] More recently they have been tentatively grouped with the chromalveolates,[5] or distantly with the cryptophytes [6]
Phylogeny
As of 2009, only five genera and ten species have been formally described. Dozens of other DNA sequences (both freshwater and marine) seem to represent further katablepharids which have not been cultured or formally described. They are currently placed in the Hacrobia, a tantative grouping of haptophytes, cryptophytes, katablepharids, telonemids, centrohelids, and perhaps biliphytes[1]
^ Skuja, H. 1939. Beitrag zur Algenflora Lettlands II. Acta Horti Botanici Universitatis Latviensis 11/12: 41-168
^ Clay, B. & Kugrens, P. 1999. Systematics of the Enigmatic Kathablepharids, Including EM Characterization of the Type Species, Kathablepharis phoenikoston, and New Observations on K. remigera comb. nov.,
Protist, Volume 150, pages 43-59, ISSN 1434-4610,
^Vørs N (1992) Ultrastructure and autecology of the marine, heterotrophic flagellate Leucocryptos marina (Braarud) Butcher 1967 (Katablepharidaceae/Kathablepharidae), with a discussion of the genera Leucocryptos and Katablepharis/Kathablepharis. Eur J Protistol 28(4): 369–389.
^Reeb, Vc; Peglar, Mt; Yoon, Hs; Bai Jr; Wu, M; Siu, P; Grafenberg, Jl; Reyes-Prieto, A; Rümmele, Se; Gross, J; Bhattacharya, D (May 2009). "Interrelationships of chromalveolates within a broadly sampled tree of photosynthetic protists". Molecular Phylogenetics & Evolution. 53 (1): 202–11.
doi:
10.1016/j.ympev.2009.04.012.
ISSN1055-7903.
PMID19398025.
^Cavalier-Smith; Chao; Lewis (2015), "Multiple origins of Heliozoa from flagellate ancestors: New cryptist subphylum Corbihelia, superclass Corbistoma, and monophyly of Haptista, Cryptista, Hacrobia and Chromista", Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 93: 331–362,
doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2015.07.004,
PMID26234272