Idionectes

Idionectes
Idionectes vortex amoeboid form
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Clade: Amorphea
Phylum: Amoebozoa
Class: Cutosea
Order: Squamocutida
Family:
Hess & Simpson, 2019
Genus:
Hess & Simpson, 2019
Species:
I. vortex
Binomial name
Idionectes vortex
Hess & Simpson, 2019

Idionectes is a genus of amoeba discovered from Allensbach, Konstanz, Germany. It contains only one species, I. vortex. Described by Sebastian Hess and Alastair G. B. Simpson in 2019, the scientific name means distinct or peculiar swimmer.[1] Named because of its unique locomotion by creating a water vortex with its flying saucer-like body, it was also dubbed UFO (for unidentified flagellate organism).[2] It is the only known eukaryotic cell having a rotating flagellum, which is the usual characteristic of prokaryotes.[3]

  1. ^ Hess, Sebastian; Eme, Laura; Roger, Andrew J.; Simpson, Alastair G. B. (2019-06-10). "A natural toroidal microswimmer with a rotary eukaryotic flagellum". Nature Microbiology. 4 (10): 1620–1626. doi:10.1038/s41564-019-0478-6. ISSN 2058-5276. PMID 31182800.
  2. ^ "Tiny flying saucers are actually odd new microbes". Nature. 570 (7761): 279. 2019-06-12. Bibcode:2019Natur.570R.279.. doi:10.1038/d41586-019-01827-x. ISSN 0028-0836.
  3. ^ "Like a swimming donut". www.bionity.com. 2019-06-14. Retrieved 2024-06-25.