Meteora sporadica is a mysterious free-living protozoan discovered in 2002 during sampling at a depth of 1,230 meters below sea level in the Sporades Basin, part of the Mediterranean Sea. So far it is the only species of the genus Meteora.[1]
| Meteora sporadica | |
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| Drawing of a Meteora sporadica individual | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Genus: | Meteora |
| Species: | M. sporadica
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| Binomial name | |
| Meteora sporadica Hausmann, Weitere, Wolf & Arndt 2002
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It was placed as Protista incertae sedis due to its unique morphology unlike any other group of protists.[1] Two decades later, a 2022 phylogenetic analysis of Meteora still was not able to solidly relate it to any known group of eukaryotes, suggesting that it could be a new high-level eukaryotic group.[2] In 2024 it was revealed to be related to Hemimastigophora.[3]
The cell body is colorless and ovular. It ranges between 3.0 and 4.4 μm in length and 2.0–4.0 μm in width. It has two lateral arm-like appendages and two axial appendages. The lateral appendages move independently of each other in a rowing motion.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c Hausmann K, Weitere M, Wolf M, Arndt H (2002). "Meteora sporadica gen. nov. et sp. nov. (Protista incertae sedis) – an extraordinary free-living protist from the Mediterranean deep sea". Eur. J. Protistol. 38 (2): 171–177. doi:10.1078/0932-4739-00872.
- ^ Galindo, Luis Javier; López-García, Purificación; Moreira, David (2022). "First Molecular Characterization of the Elusive Marine Protist Meteora sporadica". Protist. 173 (4): 125896. doi:10.1016/j.protis.2022.125896. ISSN 1434-4610. PMID 35841658. S2CID 250059723.
- ^ Eglit, Yana; Shiratori, Takashi; Jerlström-Hultqvist, Jon; Williamson, Kelsey; Roger, Andrew J.; Ishida, Ken-Ichiro; Simpson, Alastair G.B. (January 2024). "Meteora sporadica, a protist with incredible cell architecture, is related to Hemimastigophora". Current Biology. 34 (2): 451–459.e6. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2023.12.032. PMID 38262350.
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