Plagiopylid

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Plagiopylids
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota Kingdom: Chromalveolata Superphylum: Alveolata Phylum: Ciliophora Class: Plagiopylea Order: Plagiopylida Small & Lynn, 1985
Typical families
Plagiopylidae Sonderidae

The plagiopylids are a small order of ciliate protozoa, including a few forms common in anaerobic habitats.

The body cilia are dense, and arise from monokinetids with an entirely unique ultrastructure; one or two rows of dikinetids run into the oral cavity, which takes the form of a groove, with a deep tube lined by oral cilia leading to the mouth. The order was introduced by Small & Lynn in 1985, who treated it as a subclass of Oligohymenophorea. Since then they tend to be treated as an independent class, possibly affiliated with the Colpodea.