Phyllopharyngea

Intramacronucleate ciliates, the ciliated stage with somatic kineties mostly as monokinetids that each have a lateral kinetodesmal fibril, a reduced (or absent) transverse microtubular ribbon (usually accompanied by a left-directed transverse fiber), and a somewhat convergent postciliary ribbon extended posteriorward to accompany ribbons of more anterior monokinetids; ribbon-like subkinetal nematodesmata arise from somatic monokinetids, extending beneath kineties as subkinetal ribbons, which in cyrtophorids and chonotrichs probably extend anteriorly and in rhynchodids and suctoria posteriorly; oral region with radially arranged microtubular ribbons, the phyllae, which, in cyrtophorids, are enclosed by large, rod-shaped nematodesmata of hexagonally-packed microtubules held together near the cell membrane by filaments.