Exogenina

Suborder (1) Exogenina Collin, 1912

Syns. Ephelophagina,
Ephelotida,
Ephelotina,
Exogenea,
Oligostomatida p.p.,
Ophryodendrina,
Paracinetida,
Paracinetina,
Podophryida,
Podophryina,
Spelaeophryina,
Thecacinetina,
Tomogenea,
Vermigemmida,
Vermigenea

Exogenous budding, most often monogemmic (but polygemmic in some species), with no appreciable invagination of parental cortex; small permanent field of nonciliferous kinetosomes in vicinity of contractile vacuole; migratory larval form rypically large or lengthy, the former with complex ventral ciliature (derived from parental kinetosomal field) but some of the latter practically devoid of cilia, vermiform, and incapable of swimming; number of species with actinophores, some with prehensile as well as suctorial tentacles, and bodies of many of diverse size (often large) and shape; majority marine, typically solitary forms, and free-living or ectocommensal.

Adults small, pyriform or spherical, with tentacles apical or evenly distributed; usually with stalk or lorica; larvae, commonly produced one at a time and sometimes as large as adult, frequently cylindrical, with broad equatorial band of cilia; generally fresh-water forms, often attached to other ciliates. Family PODOPHRYIDAE Haeckel, 1866

Like the Podophryidae (above), but adults never loricate; budding solely monogemmic; entirely free-living, fresh-water forms. Family PARAPODOPHRYIDAE Jankowski, 1973

Adults spherical, in complex lorica with openings for tentacles; larvae ovoid, With somewhat spiraled ciliary band; marine and fresh-water forms. Family URNULIDAE Fraipont, 1878

Adults large, truncate-spherical, with peripheral prehensile tentacles surrounding regular suctorial tentacles at apical end of body; some species loricate; multiple larvae produced synchronously, ellipsoidal and flattened, with ciliary field horseshoe-shaped; marine forms. Family EPHELOTIDAE Kent, 1882

Adults cylindrical or conical, with corona of apical tentacles (prehensile as well as suctorial types?); larvae vermiform, cylindrical; all fresh-water forms. Family SPELAEOPHRYIDAE Jankowski in Batisse, 1975

Adult body cylindrical (and occasionally branched), appearing segmented, with tentacles grouped in fascicles at the different levels (sometimes involving actinophores); larvae cylindrical, vermiform; marine forms, on shrimp. Family RHABDOPHRYIDAE Jankowski, 1970

Adults somewhat vase-shaped with apical arms bearing fascicles of tentacles; tomite body drawn out distally; marine forms. Family STYLOSTOMATIDAE Batisse, 1975

Adults of somewhat baggy or irregular shape, broadly attached to substratum (with or without definitive stalk); tentacles in fascicles on one or more extensible branches; tomites long and fusiform; marine forms. Family OPHRYODENDRIDAE Stein, 1867

Two (alternating) generations: one, loricate and often attached to stalk of Ephelota, produces ca. 16 small unitentaculate forms which pierce the pellicle of the Ephelota body; these become the other generation, which lives parasitically within the host's cytoplasm and produces large ciliated larvae which in turn, attach to host stalk, become loricate, and repeat the cycle. Family TACHYBLASTONIDAE Grell, 1950

Adult stalked, loricate, with tentacles grouped apically; larvae ellipsoidal, flattened, or vermiform, with ventral ciliated band; predominantly marine forms (some on nematodes, etc.). Family THECACINETIDAE Matthes, 1956

Body small, of flattened hemispherical shape, with neither cilia nor infraciliature at any stage of life cycle; very short tentacles; parasitic on polychaete annelids. Family PHALACROCLEPTIDAE Kozloff, 1966

Adults small, pyriform or spherical, with tentacles apical or evenly distributed; usually with stalk or lorica; larvae, commonly produced one at a time and sometimes as large as adult, frequently cylindrical, with broad equatorial band of cilia; generally fresh-water forms, often attached to other ciliates.	*Family PODOPHRYIDAE* Haeckel, 1866**
Like the Podophryidae (above), but adults never loricate; budding solely monogemmic; entirely free-living, fresh-water forms.	*Family PARAPODOPHRYIDAE* Jankowski, 1973**
Adults spherical, in complex lorica with openings for tentacles; larvae ovoid, With somewhat spiraled ciliary band; marine and fresh-water forms.	*Family URNULIDAE* Fraipont, 1878**
Adults large, truncate-spherical, with peripheral prehensile tentacles surrounding regular suctorial tentacles at apical end of body; some species loricate; multiple larvae produced synchronously, ellipsoidal and flattened, with ciliary field horseshoe-shaped; marine forms.	*Family EPHELOTIDAE* Kent, 1882**
Adults cylindrical or conical, with corona of apical tentacles (prehensile as well as suctorial types?); larvae vermiform, cylindrical; all fresh-water forms.	*Family SPELAEOPHRYIDAE* Jankowski in Batisse, 1975**
Adult body cylindrical (and occasionally branched), appearing segmented, with tentacles grouped in fascicles at the different levels (sometimes involving actinophores); larvae cylindrical, vermiform; marine forms, on shrimp.	*Family RHABDOPHRYIDAE* Jankowski, 1970**
Adults somewhat vase-shaped with apical arms bearing fascicles of tentacles; tomite body drawn out distally; marine forms.	*Family STYLOSTOMATIDAE* Batisse, 1975**
Adults of somewhat baggy or irregular shape, broadly attached to substratum (with or without definitive stalk); tentacles in fascicles on one or more extensible branches; tomites long and fusiform; marine forms.	*Family OPHRYODENDRIDAE* Stein, 1867**
Two (alternating) generations: one, loricate and often attached to stalk of Ephelota, produces ca. 16 small unitentaculate forms which pierce the pellicle of the Ephelota body; these become the other generation, which lives parasitically within the host's cytoplasm and produces large ciliated larvae which in turn, attach to host stalk, become loricate, and repeat the cycle.	*Family TACHYBLASTONIDAE* Grell, 1950**
Adult stalked, loricate, with tentacles grouped apically; larvae ellipsoidal, flattened, or vermiform, with ventral ciliated band; predominantly marine forms (some on nematodes, etc.).	*Family THECACINETIDAE* Matthes, 1956**
Body small, of flattened hemispherical shape, with neither cilia nor infraciliature at any stage of life cycle; very short tentacles; parasitic on polychaete annelids.	*Family PHALACROCLEPTIDAE* Kozloff, 1966**