Ancyromonadida: A New Phylogenetic Lineage Among the Protozoa Closely Related to the Common Ancestor of Metazoans, Fungi, and Choanoflagellates (Opisthokonta)

Abstract. Molecular and morphological evidence points to the ancyromonad Ancyromonas as a plausible candidate for the closest relative to the common ancestor of metazoans, fungi, and choanoflagellates (the Opisthokonta). Using 18S rDNA sequences from most of the major eukaryotic lineages, maximum-likelihood, minimum-evolution, and maximum-parsimony analyses yielded congruent phylogenies supporting this hypothesis. Combined with ultrastructural …