Gymnophryidae is a small

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

amoeboid An amoeba (; less commonly spelled ameba or amœba; plural ''am(o)ebas'' or ''am(o)ebae'' ), often called an amoeboid, is a type of cell or unicellular organism with the ability to alter its shape, primarily by extending and retracting pseudopo ...

s that lack shells and produce thin, reticulose pseudopods. These contain

microtubule Microtubules are polymers of tubulin that form part of the cytoskeleton and provide structure and shape to eukaryotic cells. Microtubules can be as long as 50 micrometres, as wide as 23 to 27 nm and have an inner diameter between 11 an ...

s and have a granular appearance, owing to the presence of

extrusome Extrusomes are membrane-bound structures in some eukaryotes which, under certain conditions, discharge their contents outside the cell. There are a variety of different types, probably not homologous, and serving various functions. Notable extru ...

s, but are distinct from the pseudopods of

Foraminifera Foraminifera (; Latin for "hole bearers"; informally called "forams") are single-celled organisms, members of a phylum or class of amoeboid protists characterized by streaming granular Ectoplasm (cell biology), ectoplasm for catching food and ot ...

. They are included among the

Cercozoa Cercozoa is a phylum of diverse single-celled eukaryotes. They lack shared morphological characteristics at the microscopic level, and are instead defined by molecular phylogenies of rRNA and actin or polyubiquitin. They were the first major eu ...

(along with ''Lecythium''), but differ from other cercozoans in having

mitochondria A mitochondrion (; ) is an organelle found in the Cell (biology), cells of most Eukaryotes, such as animals, plants and Fungus, fungi. Mitochondria have a double lipid bilayer, membrane structure and use aerobic respiration to generate adenosi ...

with flat

crista A crista (; plural cristae) is a fold in the inner membrane of a mitochondrion. The name is from the Latin for ''crest'' or ''plume'', and it gives the inner membrane its characteristic wrinkled shape, providing a large amount of surface area fo ...

e, rather than tubular cristae. ''Gymnophrys cometa'', found in

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

and soil, is representative of the group. The cell body is under 10 μm in size, and has a pair of reduced

flagella A flagellum (; ) is a hairlike appendage that protrudes from certain plant and animal sperm cells, and from a wide range of microorganisms to provide motility. Many protists with flagella are termed as flagellates. A microorganism may have f ...

, which are smooth and insert parallel to one another. It may also produce motile

zoospore A zoospore is a motile asexual spore that uses a flagellum for locomotion. Also called a swarm spore, these spores are created by some protists, bacteria, and fungi to propagate themselves. Diversity Flagella types Zoospores may possess one or mo ...

s and

cyst A cyst is a closed sac, having a distinct envelope and cell division, division compared with the nearby Biological tissue, tissue. Hence, it is a cluster of Cell (biology), cells that have grouped together to form a sac (like the manner in which ...

s. '' Gymnophrys'' and '' Borkovia'' are the only confirmed genera, but other naked reticulose amoebae such as '' Biomyxa'' may be close relatives.

Taxonomy

* Family Gymnophryidae Mikrjukov & Mylnikov 1996 ** Genus '' Gymnophrys'' Cienkowski 1876 *** Species ''

Gymnophrys cometa Gymnophryidae is a small family of amoeboids that lack shells and produce thin, reticulose pseudopods. These contain microtubules and have a granular appearance, owing to the presence of extrusomes, but are distinct from the pseudopods of Foramin ...

'' Cienkowski 1876 non Cienkowski 1876 sensu Penard 1921 ** Genus '' Borkovia'' Mikrjukov & Mylnikov 1996 *** Species '' Borkovia cometa'' Mikrjukov & Mylnikov 1996 [''Gymnophrys cometa'' Cienkowski 1876 sensu Penard 1921 non Cienkowski 1876; ''Penardia cometa'' (Penard 1902) de Saedeleer 1934; ''Borkovia desaedeleeri'' Mikrjukov & Mylnikov 1998]

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5624690 Amoeboids Reticulasida Cercozoa families