Abstract

When these large, motile microbes were first discovered their unusual cell morphology and reproductive biology led to the proposal that Epulopiscium spp. were a new kind of microbial eukaryote. Later, molecular phylogeny revealed that Epulopiscium spp. are bacteria. Additional 16S rRNA gene surveys have demonstrated that epulos comprise a diverse group of closely related bacteria living inside surgeonfish from tropical reef systems around the globe, including the Great Barrier Reef, Hawaii, Guam, and other Indo-Pacific Islands, as well as surgeonfish in the Atlantic Ocean.

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