#picoplankton

Minorisa, a group of unicellular eukaryotes (protists), is renowned as one of the smallest predators in the world. These microorganisms are widely distributed in oceans, with a particular abundance in coastal regions, where they are believed to play a crucial role in marine ecosystems. Moreover, their close association with chlorarachnion algae, possessing plastids, makes Minorisa essential for understanding how chlorarachnion algae acquired plastids. Nevertheless, until now, only one species, Minorisa minuta, had been formally described, and the absence of available culture strains hindered taxonomic investigations.