Karyorelictea is a class of ciliates in the subphylum Postciliodesmatophora. Most species are members of the microbenthos community, that is, microscopic organisms found in the marine interstitial habitat, though one genus, Loxodes, is found in freshwater. The majority of karyorelict taxa have not been cultivated in the laboratory, although clonal lines of Loxodes have been developed.