Varisulca was a proposed basal Podiate

taxon In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...

. It encompassed several lineages of

heterotrophic A heterotroph (; ) is an organism that cannot produce its own food, instead taking nutrition from other sources of organic carbon, mainly plant or animal matter. In the food chain, heterotrophs are primary, secondary and tertiary consumers, but ...

protist A protist () is any eukaryotic organism (that is, an organism whose cells contain a cell nucleus) that is not an animal, plant, or fungus. While it is likely that protists share a common ancestor (the last eukaryotic common ancestor), the exc ...

s, most notably the ancyromonads (planomonads), collodictyonids (diphylleids), rigifilids (''Rigifila'', ''Micronuclearia'') and mantamonadids. Recent evidence suggests that the latter three are closely related to each other, forming a clade called

CRuMs CRuMs is a proposed clade of microbial eukaryotes, whose name is an acronym of the following constituent groups: i) collodictyonids also known as diphylleids, ii) rigifilids and iii) mantamonadids as sister of the Amorphea. It more or less s ...

, but that this is unlikely to be specifically related to ancyromonads

Cavalier-Smith Thomas (Tom) Cavalier-Smith, FRS, FRSC, NERC Professorial Fellow (21 October 1942 – 19 March 2021), was a professor of evolutionary biology in the Department of Zoology, at the University of Oxford. His research has led to discov ...

had proposed the new subphylum Varisulca which consists of the classes Hilomonadea, Diphyllatea and Glissodiscea. The validity of this proposed taxonomy has yet to ruled upon by the Society of Protistologists. It is unlikely to be widely accepted, since Varisulca appears to be paraphyletic or polyphyletic (ancyromonads are not inferred to be the sister group to CRuMs). Glissodiscea and Multirhiza (a taxon encompassing Diphyllatea and Glissodiscea) also appear paraphyletic or polyphyletic, since ''Mantamonas'' belongs to CRuMs but ancyromonads do not. Varisulca appear to be paraphyletic stem

Podiata Podiates (Cavalier-Smith, 2012, excl. Ancyromonadida) are a proposed clade containing the Amorphea (incl. Opisthokonta, Amoebozoa, apusomonads and breviates) and the organisms now assigned to the clade CRuMs. Ancyromonadida does not appear t ...

. So the other basal Podiata such as

Malawimonas ''Malawimonas'' is a Loukozoa genus, possible sister of the Podiata. History of the discovery of Malawimonads In 1993, Charles J O’ Kelly studied the jakobid groups flagellates and implications for the early diversification of eukaryotes and ...

Metamonad The metamonads are microscopic eukaryotic organisms, a large group of flagellate amitochondriate Loukozoa. Their composition is not entirely settled, but they include the retortamonads, diplomonads, and possibly the parabasalids and oxymonads a ...

a and/or

Amoebozoa Amoebozoa is a major taxonomic group containing about 2,400 described species of amoeboid protists, often possessing blunt, fingerlike, lobose pseudopods and tubular mitochondrial cristae. In traditional and currently no longer supported classi ...

and Amorphea may have emerged in the Varisulca. Some groups of

Apusozoa The Apusozoa are an Obazoa phylum comprising several genera of flagellate eukaryotes. They are usually around 5–20 μm in size, and occur in soils and aquatic habitats, where they feed on bacteria. They are grouped together based on the prese ...

are now considered Varisulca. The Apusomonadida (e.g.

Thecamonas The Apusomonadida are a group of protozoan zooflagellates that glide on surfaces, and mostly consume prokaryotes. They are of particular evolutionary interest because they appear to be the sister group to the Opisthokonts, the clade that incl ...

) now not directly associated with Varisulca but are considered sister of the

opisthokont The opisthokonts () are a broad group of eukaryotes, including both the animal and fungus kingdoms. The opisthokonts, previously called the "Fungi/Metazoa group", are generally recognized as a clade. Opisthokonts together with Apusomonadida and ...

Sulcozoa Podiates (Cavalier-Smith, 2012, excl. Ancyromonadida) are a proposed clade containing the Amorphea (incl. Opisthokonta, Amoebozoa, apusomonads and breviates) and the organisms now assigned to the clade CRuMs. Ancyromonadida does not appear to ...

(originally only Varisulca and Apusozoa) now encompasses the

Unikont Amorphea are members of a taxonomic supergroup that includes the basal Amoebozoa and Obazoa. That latter contains the Opisthokonta, which includes the Fungi, Animals and the Choanomonada, or Choanoflagellates. The taxonomic affinities of the ...

a/Amorphea and becomes equivalent to (stem) Podiata and Sarcomastigota. Mantamonadida appear to be sister to Apusomonadida in the

in some findings.

Taxonomy

arning: Varisulca, Multirhiza and Glissodiscea lack molecular phylogenetic support and are strongly non-monophyletic in recent studies Subphylum Varisulca Cavalier-Smith 2012 * Superclass Hilomonadia Cavalier-Smith 2012 ** Class Hilomonadea Cavalier-Smith 2008 em. 2012 *** Order Rigifilida Cavalier-Smith & Yabuki 2012 **** Family Rigifilidae Cavalier-Smith & Yabuki 2012 ***** Genus '' Rigifila'' Cavalier-Smith & Yabuki 2012 **** Family Micronucleariidae Cavalier-Smith 2008 ***** Genus ''

Micronuclearia ''Micronuclearia'' is a genus of free-living protozoa. While originally thought to be a nucleariid Nucleariida is a group of amoebae with filose pseudopods, known mostly from soils and freshwater. They are distinguished from the superficially ...

'' Mikrjukov & Mylnikov 2001 * Superclass Multirhiza Cavalier-Smith 2012 ** Class Diphyllatea Cavalier-Smith 2003 nisomonadea*** Order Diphylleida Cavalier-Smith 1993 ollodictyonida**** Family Sulcomonadidae Cavalier-Smith 2012 ***** Genus '' Sulcomonas'' Brugerolle 2006 **** Family Diphylleidae Cavalier-Smith, 1993 ollodictyonidae Brugerolle et al. 2002***** Genus ''

Diphylleia ''Diphylleia'' is a group of small herbs in the family Berberidaceae described as a genus in 1803. It is native to the eastern United States and eastern Asia. ''Diphylleia grayi'', also known as the skeleton flower, has white petals that turn t ...

'' Massart 1920 non Michaux 1803 ***** Genus ''

Collodictyon ''Collodictyon'' is a genus of single-celled, omnivorous eukaryotes belonging to the collodictyonids, also known as diphylleids. Due to their mix of cellular components, Collodictyonids do not belong to any well-known kingdom-level grouping of t ...

'' Carter 1865 ** Class Glissodiscea Cavalier-Smith 2012 *** Order Discocelida Cavalier-Smith 1997 **** Family Discoceliidae Cavalier-Smith 2012 ***** Genus '' Discocelia'' Cavalier-Smith 2013 'Discocelis''_Vørs_1988_non_Ehrenberg_1836.html" ;"title="Discocelis.html" ;"title="'Discocelis">'Discocelis'' Vørs 1988 non Ehrenberg 1836">Discocelis.html" ;"title="'Discocelis">'Discocelis'' Vørs 1988 non Ehrenberg 1836*** Order Mantamonadida Cavalier-Smith Glücksman et al. 2011 **** Family Mantamonadidae Cavalier-Smith Glücksman et al. 2011 ***** Genus ''Mantamonas'' Cavalier-Smith Glücksman et al. 2011 *** Order Planomonadida Cavalier-Smith 2008 (

Ancyromonadida Ancyromonadida or Planomonadida is a small group of biflagellated protists found in the soil and in aquatic habitats, where they feed on bacteria.Cavalier-Smith, T. (2013)Early evolution of eukaryote feeding modes, cell structural diversity, and ...

Cavalier-Smith 1998 emend. Atkins 2000) **** Family Ancyromonadidae Cavalier-Smith 1993 ***** Genus '' Ancyromonas'' Kent 1880 **** Family Planomonadidae Cavalier-Smith 2008 ***** Genus '' Fabomonas'' Glücksman & Cavalier-Smith 2013 ***** Genus '' Planomonas'' Cavalier-Smith 2008 emend. Cavalier-Smith 2013 **** Family Nutomonadidae Cavalier-Smith 2013 ***** Genus '' Nutomonas'' Cavalier-Smith 2013

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q24048475 Eukaryote subphyla Podiata