Retortamonad

The retortamonads are a small group of flagellates, mostly found in the intestines of animals, although some are free-living. They are usually around 5-20 &mu;m in length. There are two genera: Retortamonas with two flagella, and Chilomastix with four. In both cases there are four basal bodies anterior to a prominent feeding groove, and one flagellum is directed back through the cell, emerging from the groove.

The retortamonads lack both mitochondria and dictyosomes. They are close relatives of the diplomonads, and are placed among the metamonads along with them.

Retortamonadida Rétortamonadine レトルタモナス目