| Pirum gemmata | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Pirum gemmata (Ichthyosporea), nuclei stained in blue with DAPI | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Class: | Ichthyosporea |
| Order: | Eccrinida |
| Family: | Piridae |
| Genus: | Pirum Marshall & Berbee 2010 |
| Species: | P. gemmata |
| Binomial name | |
| Pirum gemmata Marshall & Berbee 2010 | |
Pirum gemmata is a unicellular eukaryote that belongs to the Ichthyosporea clade, a group of protists closely related to animals. P. gemmata was isolated from the gut contents of a marine invertebrate, specifically the detritivorous peanut worm Phascolosoma agassizii. [1]
Pirum gemmata’s growth under culture conditions, is through the development of a mature syncytial stage that undergoes sporogenesis and eventually releases endospores through one or more openings in the parent cell wall. Mature cells are multinucleated, with a cell wall, and can measure up to 200 μm. [1] Endospores are amoeboid and some have pseudopod-like cell extensions.