Blepharismidae Explained

Blepharismidae is a family of unicellular ciliate protists found in fresh and salt water. Two genera are recognized: Blepharisma, which contains some model organisms, and Pseudoblepharisma (monotypic in most sources)^[1]

Parablepharisma was part of the family, but more careful inspection (morphological and molecular) has placed it in a separate class distinct from the heterotrichs.^[2] Acquisition of ribosomal sequences from Pseudoblepharisma in 2021 and 2022 also produces phylogenetic results incongruent with current taxonomy, instead placing the genus sister to Spirostomum.^[3]

Notes and References

1. Chi . Yong . Chen . Xiangrui . Li . Yuqing . Wang . Chundi . Zhang . Tengteng . Ayoub . Alex . Warren . Alan . Song . Weibo . Wang . Yuanyuan . New contributions to the phylogeny of the ciliate class Heterotrichea (Protista, Ciliophora): analyses at family-genus level and new evolutionary hypotheses . Science China Life Sciences . 1 April 2021 . 64 . 4 . 606–620 . 10.1007/s11427-020-1817-5. 33068287 . 223558791 .
2. Campello-Nunes. Pedro H.. Fernandes. Noemi M.. Szokoli. Franziska. Fokin. Sergei I.. Serra. Valentina. Modeo. Letizia. Petroni. Giulio. Soares. Carlos A. G.. Paiva. Thiago da S.. Silva-Neto. Inácio D. da. 2020-04-01. Parablepharisma (Ciliophora) is not a Heterotrich: A Phylogenetic and Morphological Study with the Proposal of New Taxa. Protist. en. 171. 2. 125716. 10.1016/j.protis.2020.125716. 32086115. 211246127 . 1434-4610.
3. Muñoz-Gómez . SA . Kreutz . M . Hess . S . A microbial eukaryote with a unique combination of purple bacteria and green algae as endosymbionts. . Science Advances . June 2021 . 7 . 24 . 10.1126/sciadv.abg4102 . 34117067 . 8195481 . 2021SciA....7.4102M . free.