PROGRESS IN PROTOZOOLOGY

214 B. M. HONIGBERG
e.g., between pigmented and nonpigmented flagellates, are always more
or less artificial. He also adduced some examples from the group of
parasitic euglenids in the hope that information derived from studies
of these organisms will aid in the discussion of the larger problem of
evolution of PROTOZOA and PROTISTA.
Although, because of the late hour, not much discussion was elicited
by the highly interesting contributions of Professors Corliss and
P o 1 j a n s k y, it should be mentioned that some of the basic ideas
enlarged upon and presented very precisely by Prof. Corliss have
been expressed in the 1940's by the late Prof. Harold Kir by (unpublished),
by E. N. K o z 1 o f f, in his presentation at the Twelfth Meeting
of the Society of Protozoologists in 1960 (unfortunately Prof. K o z-
1 o f f's remarks were not published either in an abstract or in a more
complete paper), and by Honigberg (1967). The last author based
many of his views on those of Prof. Kirby. Honigberg (1967)
ended his paper as follows: "Protozoologists have been concerned with
organisms constituting the whole or parts of (some of) the several divisions
as considered here [i.e., of RHODOPHYTA, EUGLENOPHYTA,
CHLOROPHYTA, PYRROPHYTA, CHRYSOPHYTA, MONADARIA,
SARCODINA, CNIDOSPORA (=MICROSPORA and MYXOZOA), SPO-
ROZOA ( = APICOMPLEXA), and CILIOPHORA]. Unquestionably they
will continue to do so irrespective of the taxonomic treatment of these
organisms. Practical considerations such as teaching protozoology on the
undergraduate level and aiding the cytologist, the biochemist, the parasitologist,
and other nonspecialists, may necessitate, for a time at least,
the retention of some of the available and the possible creation of new
unified systems of classification of the protozoa. With more information
based on light- and electron-microscopic, as well as on biochemical and
physiological studies of the various protozoan forms, the kinships within
and among the great divisions of living organisms may lead to a more
natural arrangement of the groups which are included in these divisions.
The probably salutary tendency to elevate the various groups that
include protozoa to progressively higher taxonomic levels, clearly apparent
in the systems proposed (for example) by Grasse (1952, 1953),
Honigberg et al. (1964), Kozloff (unpublished) and Levine et
al. (1980) will undoubtedly continue until the generally accepted scheme
or schemes may present living things in a manner (similar to that)
suggested here." The scheme recommended by Prof. Corliss represents
a commendable attempt in this direction.
All the foregoing considerations notwithstanding/ the stimulating
presentation of Prof. P o 1 j a n s k y, and especially certain parts of it
should give us all food for thought.
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