Tunicaraptor
| Tunicaraptor | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Clade: | Amorphea |
| Clade: | Obazoa |
| (unranked): | Opisthokonta |
| (unranked): | Holozoa |
| Genus: | Tunicaraptor Tikhonenkov et al. 2020 |
| Species: | T. unikontum
|
| Binomial name | |
| Tunicaraptor unikontum Tikhonenkov et al. 2020[1]
| |
Tunicaraptor is a genus of
marine waters of Chile. It is a lineage of predatorial flagellates closely related to animals. It has a rare feeding structure not seen in other opisthokonts.[1]
Morphology
Tunicaraptor unikontum is a small
Discovery and etymology
Tunicaraptor unikontum was isolated from marine waters of the coast of
Ecology
Tunicaraptor unikontum is found in marine environments. It is a eukaryovorous predator, meaning it can only feed on other eukaryotes, and it is not capable of consuming bacteria. During feeding, many different cells can aggregate and feed jointly on the same eukaryotic prey.[1]
Evolution
Tunicaraptor is an independent lineage of Holozoan protists, but its placement is not resolved. Three different phylogenetic positions of Tunicaraptor have been obtained from analyses: as sister to Filasterea, as sister to Filozoa or as the sister group to all Holozoa.[1][2]
Opisthokonta
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In search for the
multicellularity across the eukaryote evolution, a precursor for a neuropeptide gene, nesfatin-1, has also been found in Tunicaraptor unikontum. These discoveries suggest that neuropeptide signaling in animals has a deep evolutionary ancestry in their unicellular relatives.[3]