Hypotrich

Hypotrich
Hypotrich ciliate in family Oxytrichidae
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Clade: Diaphoretickes
Clade: SAR
Clade: Alveolata
Phylum: Ciliophora
Class: Spirotrichea
Subclass: Hypotrichia
Stein 1859
Orders and Families


The hypotrichs are a group of ciliated protozoa, common in fresh water, salt water, soil and moss. Hypotrichs possess compound ciliary organelles called "cirri," which are made up of thick tufts of cilia, sparsely distributed on the ventral surface of the cell. The multiple fused cilia which form a cirrus function together as a unit, enabling the organism to crawl along solid substrates such as submerged debris or sediments. Hypotrichs typically possess a large oral aperture, bordered on one side by a wreath or collar of membranelles (small membranous structures made up of fused cilia), forming an "adoral zone of membranelles," or AZM.[2][3][4]

  1. ^ "IRMNG - Gonostomidae Small & Lynn, 1985". www.irmng.org. Retrieved 2024-04-07.
  2. ^ Curds, Colin R. (1982). British and Other Freshwater Ciliated Protozoa. Bath: Cambridge University Press. pp. Vol. II, p. 368. ISBN 978-0-521-24257-8.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Corliss, John O. (1979). The Ciliated Protozoa: Characterization, Classification, and Guide to the Literature. Pergamon Press. ISBN 9780080187525.