Ventrata

Ventrata is an infraphylum of ciliates inside the subphylum Intramacronucleata that unites the classes Phyllopharyngea, Colpodea, Nassophorea, Prostomatea, Plagiopylea and Oligohymenophorea.^[1] It is equivalent to the clade CONthreeP or Conthreep recovered by phylogenetic analyses.^[2]

Ventrata
Paramecium caudatum
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Clade:	Diaphoretickes
Clade:	Sar
Clade:	Alveolata
Phylum:	Ciliophora
Subphylum:	Intramacronucleata
Infraphylum:	Ventrata Cavalier-Smith 2004
Classes[1]
Phyllopharyngea Colpodea Nassophorea Prostomatea Plagiopylea Oligohymenophorea

Description

Members of this taxon are characterized by having, ancestrally, a ventral cytopharynx,^[1] as the name suggests.

Phylogeny

The monophyly of CONthreeP is well supported, being placed as sister to Protocruziea.^[2] The order Discotrichida, belonging to class Nassophorea, has been recovered as the earliest branch of the clade.^[2]

	Protocruziea Ventrata Discotrichida (Nassophorea) Colpodea Nassophorea Phyllopharyngea Oligohymenophorea Prostomatea Plagiopylea CONthreeP