Mobilida
| Mobilida | |
|---|---|
| Scanning electron micrograph of Trichodina on the gills of a mullet | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Clade: | Sar |
| Clade: | Alveolata |
| Phylum: | Ciliophora |
| Class: | Oligohymenophorea |
| Subclass: | Peritrichia |
| Order: | Mobilida Kahl, 1933 |
| Families | |
|
Leiotrochidae | |
Mobilida is a group of parasitic or symbiotic peritrich ciliates, comprising more than 280 species. Mobilids live on or within a wide variety of aquatic organisms, including fish, amphibians, molluscs, cnidarians, flatworms and other ciliates, attaching to their host organism by means of an aboral adhesive disk. Some mobilid species are pathogens of wild or farmed fish, causing severe and economically damaging diseases such as trichodinosis.