Marophrys nikolaevi
Marophrys nikolaevi, from Gerasimova et Zlatogursky, 2022

Marophryidae Cavalier-Smith and von der Heyden, 2007
Diagnosis: Centrohelids lacking silica scales but with numerous thin, pointed organic scales tapering towards acute apices. 18S rRNA short, lacking the seven insertions found in Marophryidae.
Type and sole genus Marophrys.

Genus Marophrys Cavalier-Smith and von der Heyden, 2007

Diagnosis as for Marophryidae above.
Type species: Marophrys (=Heterophrys) marina comb. nov.

Marophrys marina (Hertwig and Lesser) Cavalier-Smith and von der Heyden, 2007

Diagnosis: cell diameter 9 – 45 µm. Spicules radially oriented, numerous, length approximately half the cell diameter, tapering abruptly from base to acute tips.

Marophrys nikolaevi Gerasimova et Zlatogursky, 2022

Diagnosis: Cell diameter 4-11 µm, with axopodia extending to the distance of 2–3 cell diameter. Cells surrounded by organic spicules of two types; short (0.6–0.7 µm) and thin (0.01–0.02 µm) mostly tangentially oriented spicules form a lax sheath, surrounding the cell. Longer (3–6 µm) and thicker (0.04-0.05 µm) spicules are embedded in this sheath, being radially or obliquely oriented.

Comparison: Different from M. marina in size (25-30 µm for M. marina, according to the original description) and from Spiculophrys agregata in the spicule length (13 µm for S. agregata) and the distinction of short tangential and long oblique spicules.

Habitat: Brackish water, found at salinities 16–22 ppt. Type locality: Upper layer of bottom sediments from the natural boundary of the Tuzlukkol River (South Urals, Russia) (N 51°170900 E56°3601600).

Ferry Siemensma, created March 1, 2019; last modified October 23, 2022
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