Mantamonads are a group of free-livingheterotrophicflagellates that move primarily by gliding on surfaces (rather than swimming). They are classified as one genusMantamonas in the monotypic familyMantamonadidae, orderMantamonadida and classGlissodiscea.[2] Previously, they were classified in Apusozoa as sister of the Apusomonadida on the basis of rRNA analyses.[1][4] However, mantamonads are currently placed in CRuMs on the basis of phylogenomic analyses that identify their closest relatives as the Diphylleida and Rigifilida.[5][6]
Mantamonas are heterotrophicunicellularprotists. Their cells are flattened, relatively plastic and asymmetric. They have one thin anterior flagellum and one conspicuous posteriorflagellum, on which they glide. The cells have a right hump, likely caused by the nucleus, and a blunt projection on the left side. They are typically 2 μm thick,[1] 5 μm long and 5 μm wide, but vary in size and shape depending on their growth phase and the bacterial density in the medium.[3] When wide-shaped, they present lateral "wings" that resemble the fins of a manta ray (hence the name Mantamonas).[3]
^Orr, Russell J. S.; Zhao, Sen; Klaveness, Dag; Yabuki, Akinori; Ikeda, Keiji; Makoto, Watanabe M.; Shalchian-Tabrizi, Kamran (2017-10-08). "Enigmatic Diphyllatea eukaryotes: Culturing and targeted PacBio RS amplicon sequencing reveals a higher order taxonomic diversity and global distribution". bioRxiv10.1101/199125.
