Hoilungia

Hoilungia
Microscopic image of Hoilungia hongkongensis. Scale bar is 0.2 mm.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Placozoa
Class: Uniplacotomia
Order: Hoilungea
Family: Hoilungidae
Genus: Hoilungia
Eitel, Schierwater & Wörheide, 2018
Species:
H. hongkongensis
Binomial name
Hoilungia hongkongensis
Eitel, Schierwater & Wörheide, 2018

Hoilungia is a genus that contains one of the simplest animals and belongs to the phylum Placozoa.[1][2] Described in 2018, it has only one named species, H. hongkongensis, although there are possible other species.[3] The animal superficially resembles another placozoan, Trichoplax adhaerens, but genetically distinct from it as mitochondrial DNA analysis revealed.[1]

Hoilungia was discovered in brackish water from mangrove swamps in Hong Kong.[4] These organisms are generally found in the biofilm surfaces in tropical and subtropical environments. Phylogenetically, they are placed closest to cnidarians. They are diploblastic animals and are believed to have dorso-ventral polarity along top and bottom body layers. Their body is overtly similar to oral-aboral axis of cnidarians.[5]

  1. ^ a b Wood, Charlie (2018-10-06). "Simplest Animal Reveals Hidden Diversity". Scientific American. Retrieved 2023-06-02 – via Quanta Magazine.
  2. ^ World Placozoa Database. "Hoilungia hongkongensis Eitel, Schierwater & Wörheide, 2018". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  3. ^ Eitel, Michael; Francis, Warren R.; Varoqueaux, Frédérique; Daraspe, Jean; Osigus, Hans-Jürgen; Krebs, Stefan; Vargas, Sergio; Blum, Helmut; et al. (2018). "Comparative genomics and the nature of placozoan species". PLOS Biology. 16 (7): e2005359. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.2005359. PMC 6067683. PMID 30063702.
  4. ^ Wood C (6 October 2018). "World's simplest animal reveals hidden diversity". Quanta Magazine.
  5. ^ DuBuc TQ, Ryan JF, Martindale MQ (May 2019). ""Dorsal-Ventral" Genes Are Part of an Ancient Axial Patterning System: Evidence from Trichoplax adhaerens (Placozoa)". Molecular Biology and Evolution. 36 (5): 966–973. doi:10.1093/molbev/msz025. PMC 6501881. PMID 30726986.