''Helicosporidium'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of colorless, pathogenic algae in the class Trebouxiophyceae of the

green algae The green algae (singular: green alga) are a group consisting of the Prasinodermophyta and its unnamed sister which contains the Chlorophyta and Charophyta/Streptophyta. The land plants (Embryophytes) have emerged deep in the Charophyte alga as ...

. It is a

parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...

found in the gut of insects, and a close relative of ''

Prototheca ''Prototheca'' is a genus of algae in the family Chlorellaceae. All the species within this genus, even though classified as green algae, have forfeited their photosynthetic ability and have switched to parasitism. Some species can cause the dise ...

''.''The Evolution of Parasitism - A Phylogenetic Perspective'' (2003), p. 46

References

External links

AlgaeBase page for Helicosporidium
Trebouxiophyceae genera Chlorellaceae {{green algae-stub