''Andalucia'' is a genus of

jakobid Jakobids are an order of free-living, heterotrophic, flagellar eukaryotes in the supergroup Excavata. They are small (less than 15 μm), and can be found in aerobic and anaerobic environments. The order Jakobida, believed to be monophyletic, cons ...

s, currently containing the sole species ''A. godoyi''.

Classification

The morphology of ''Andalucia'' broadly resembles that of other

s. Molecular data has not always been conclusive, but recent phylogenomic analyses indicate that ''Andalucia'' is a sister group to the other jakobids, or, in other words, more closely related to them than to the

Heterolobosea The Percolozoa are a group of colourless, non-photosynthetic Excavata, including many that can transform between amoeboid, flagellate, and cyst stages. Characteristics Most Percolozoa are found as bacterivores in soil, fresh water and occasionall ...

or Euglenozoa (the other two groups in the

Discoba Excavata is a major supergroup of unicellular organisms belonging to the Domain (biology), domain Eukaryota. It was first suggested by Simpson and Patterson in 1999 and introduced by Thomas Cavalier-Smith in 2002 as a formal taxon. It contains ...

). The α-

tubulin Tubulin in molecular biology can refer either to the tubulin protein superfamily of globular proteins, or one of the member proteins of that superfamily. α- and β-tubulins polymerize into microtubules, a major component of the eukaryotic cytoske ...

gene of ''Andalucia'' more closely resembles that of

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 ...

s and

diplomonad The diplomonads (Greek for "two units") are a group of flagellates, most of which are parasitic. They include ''Giardia duodenalis'', which causes giardiasis in humans. They are placed among the metamonads, and appear to be particularly close ...

s than its closer relatives, the apparent result of

horizontal gene transfer Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) or lateral gene transfer (LGT) is the movement of genetic material between unicellular and/or multicellular organisms other than by the ("vertical") transmission of DNA from parent to offspring (reproduction). H ...

. As of 2015, the soil

heterotroph 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 ...

'' Andalucia godoyi'' is the only described species in the genus. The species ''

Andalucia incarcerata ''Andalucia incarcerata'' is a species of Excavata Excavata is a major supergroup of unicellular organisms belonging to the domain Eukaryota. It was first suggested by Simpson and Patterson in 1999 and introduced by Thomas Cavalier-Smith in ...

'', living in sulphide-rich marine

intertidal The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various species ...

sediments, was transferred to the genus '' Stygiella'' in 2015. Analysis of DNA sequences from the environment suggests at least two additional species that have not been isolated or formally described.

References

Excavata genera Jakobids Taxa described in 2006 {{Excavata-stub