The number of strips between rows of pores varied between euglenid taxa and displayed a series of consecutive character states that differed by a power of two. The patterns of pores may not only have value phylogenetically and taxonomically but may provide morphological markers for following strip maturation during cell reproduction. We also identified characters and states associated with strip substructure and outlined hypotheses about their evolution. We first designated terms necessary for analytical comparisons of strips. We then demonstrated most of the substructural diversity by presenting data for 13 taxa.
Frames support the basic shape of strips.
Projections branch from the frames laterally and are usually periodic. The ancestral state included strips that were few in number, flat, and fused. The strips became sigmoidal and disjoined in the lineage leading to most taxa. These strips became secondarily fused in one lineage and flattened in another. In some lineages of phototrophs, the strips became increasingly robust.