| Leucodictyida | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Clade: | Diaphoretickes |
| Clade: | SAR |
| Phylum: | Cercozoa |
| Class: | Granofilosea |
| Order: | Leucodictyida Cavalier-Smith, 1993 emend. 2003 [1] |
| Type genus | |
| Leucodictyon Grell, 1991 | |
| Families [2] | |
Leucodictyids are heterotrophic amoeboid protists that comprise the order Leucodictyida in the phylum Cercozoa. [2]
Leucodictyids are biciliate amoebae with branching filopodia that are capable of fusing temporarily with each other to form structures known as meroplasmodia. These filopodia can bear extrusomes, and are appressed to the substrate while supported in part by irregularly arranged microtubules. Inside the cell itself, an important characteristic is the presence of tubular mitochondrial cristae. [1]
Leucodictyida was described in 1993 as a monotypic order containing only the family Leucodictyidae. [3] Later, in 2003, it was emended to also contain the family Massisteriidae. [1] It currently contains a total of 4 genera.
Cercozoa is a phylum of diverse single-celled eukaryotes. They lack shared morphological characteristics at the microscopic level, and are instead united by molecular phylogenies of rRNA and actin or polyubiquitin. They were the first major eukaryotic group to be recognized mainly through molecular phylogenies. They are the natural predators of many species of bacteria. They are closely related to the phylum Retaria, comprising amoeboids that usually have complex shells, and together form a supergroup called Rhizaria.
Monadofilosa is a grouping of Cercozoa. These organisms are single-celled amoeboid protists.
Thecofilosea is a class of unicellular testate amoebae belonging to the phylum Cercozoa. They are amoeboflagellates, organisms with flagella and pseudopodia, distinguished from other cercozoa by their scale-lacking test composed of organic material. They are closely related to the Imbricatea, a group of testate amoebae with tests composed of inorganic silica scales.
The sarcomonads or class Sarcomonadea are a group of amoeboid biciliate protists in the phylum Cercozoa. They are characterized by a propensity to move through gliding on their posterior cilium or through filopodia, a lack of scales or external theca, a soft cell surface without obvious cortical filamentous or membranous skeleton, two cilia without scales or hairs, tubular mitochondrial cristae, near-spherical extrusomes, and a microbody attached to the nucleus.
Proleptomonas is a genus of coprophilic protists, containing the single species Proleptomonas faecicola. It belongs to the phylum Cercozoa, although it was previously considered the only free-living kinetoplastid. It is the only member of family Proleptomonadidae.
Thaumatomastix is a protist genus of the order Thaumatomonadida, within the phylum Cercozoa and the class Imbricatea. Its species are aquatic, feeding on algae and appearing in waters of a wide range of temperatures and salinities, and are 15-50 micrometers long. They can interchange between flagellated and amoeboid forms, and are notable for being covered in both spiny and flattened siliceous scales.
Granofilosea is a class of cercozoan protists in the subphylum Reticulofilosa. Out of the three groups that were traditionally considered heliozoans: the heliomonads, gymnosphaerids and desmothoracids, the latter were recently grouped into this new class.
The plasmodiophores are a group of obligate endoparasitic protists belonging to the subphylum Endomyxa in Cercozoa. Taxonomically, they are united under a single family Plasmodiophoridae, order Plasmodiophorida, sister to the phagomyxids.
The paracercomonads are a group of cercozoan protists. Taxonomically, they comprise the family Paracercomonadidae, order Paracercomonadida and subclass Paracercomonada. Due to their morphological similarities to the cercomonads, members of this family were grouped with Cercomonas and similar taxa from the beginning. However, their similarities are due to convergent evolution.
Ventrifilosa is a highly diverse group of phagotrophic protists that glide through their flagella and emit filose pseudopods from their ventral side for feeding. Because of their mixture of amoeba and flagellate characteristics, they are amoeboflagellates. Members of this group are the Imbricatea, Sarcomonadea and Thecofilosea.
Nanofila is a genus of marine heterotrophic protists of the phylum Cercozoa. It is the only genus in the family Nanofilidae. It is a monotypic genus, with the sole species N. marina.
Cryptofilida is an order of small heterotrophic protists in the phylum Cercozoa. They are filose amoebae that lack cilia and gliding, and are instead characterized by movement through branching or unbranched granular filopodia that are appressed to the substrate during their feeding.
Mesofila is a genus of freshwater heterotrophic protists of the phylum Cercozoa. It is the only genus in the family Mesofilidae. It is a monotypic genus, with the sole species M. limnetica.
Massisteriidae is a family of granofilosean protists within the phylum Cercozoa.
Minimassisteria is a marine bacterivorous genus of protists with only one species, M. diva, that presents three different lifestyle forms. It has a widespread geographic distribution. It is an amoeboflagellate most closely related to Massisteria, and together comprise the family Massisteriidae.
The glissomonads are a group of bacterivorous gliding flagellated protists that compose the order Glissomonadida, in the amoeboflagellate phylum Cercozoa. They comprise a vast, largely undescribed diversity of soil and freshwater organisms. They are the sister group to cercomonads; the two orders form a solid clade of gliding soil-dwelling flagellates called Pediglissa.
Pediglissa is a subclass of phagotrophic protists that inhabit soil or freshwater habitats. They were defined in 2018 according to phylogenetic analyses that showed a clade containing the orders Cercomonadida and Glissomonadida. They're the sister group of Paracercomonadida.
Viridiraptoridae, previously known as clade X, is a clade of heterotrophic protists in the phylum Cercozoa. They're a family of glissomonads, a group containing a vast, mostly undescribed diversity of soil and freshwater organisms.
Limnofila is a genus of heterotrophic protists that live in freshwater habitats and feed on bacteria. They are also present in the soil ecosystem, where they play an important role as predators of bacteria. They are classified as a single family Limnofilidae and order Limnofilida.
Parviluciferaceae is a family of perkinsozoans, a group of endoparasitic protists present in aquatic environments.