Provora is a supergroup of Eukaryote made up of predatory microbes, whose name implies something such as "protists devouring voraciously". It was reported that ten strains were isolated and cultured in 2022. They are predators of other microorganisms. Their discovery was very delayed, compared to other microorganisms in their environments, due to their rarity. Their 18S ribosomal RNA is very different from that of other eukaryotes consistent with their being a lineage without known close relatives; this was confirmed by phylogenomic analyses of datasets of several hundred proteins, so they were taxonomically placed in a separate supergroup.
Evolution
External relationships
The supergroup Provora is composed of microbes that form an ancient lineage of
. The initial phylogenetic analyses recovered a position within the larger supergroup
Diaphoretickes, particularly as sister to the
protist groups
TSAR and
Haptista.
However, a 2024
phylogenomic analysis recovered Provora as part of a novel lineage of eukaryotes, specifically as the sister group to a clade containing
Hemimastigophora and the species
Meteora sporadica.
Either position is reflected in the biology of Provora: their
are similar to those found in Hemimastigophora, while other cellular features most closely resemble those found in TSAR and Haptista, such as flagellar vanes, the architecture of the flagellar apparatus, and the presence of
cortical alveoli below the cell membrane.
The following cladogram represents the two alternative evolutionary positions:
Internal relationships
The phylogenetic relationships between the eight described species of Provora is the following:
