Kiitoksia is a genus of aquatic protist. The taxonomic position of the genus is still uncertain and it has not found a robust location in any subgroup.
Two species are confidently known in the genus: Kiitoksia ystava and Kiitoksia kaloista. K. ystava was first discovered in Tvärminne in the Gulf of Finland. K. kaloista was discovered in Sombre Lake on Signy Island, near Antarctica. A third species, K. parva was transferred from the genus Clautriavia by Smith and Scoble
The Kiitoksia species are single-celled organisms approximately 2-4 micrometres in size and round in shape. The species can be distinguished by their flagella: K. ystava has two flagella, one short and one long, while K. kaloista has one long flagellum.
Name "" is a Finnish word for "thanks". The phrase "" means "thank you, friend", while "" means "thanks for the fish". The latter name is a reference to the Douglas Adams novel, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish.
References
Tikhonenkov, D. V, Benthic heterotrophic flagellates from the Red Sea littoral (Gulf of Suez, Egypt). Zoologičeskij žurnal, 2009, vol. 88: (11), 1291–1297,