''Helicosporidium'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of colorless, pathogenic algae in the class
Trebouxiophyceae
The Trebouxiophyceae are a class of green algae, in the division Chlorophyta. Their circumscription within the green algae is not well established due to the need for more genetic studies at higher levels within the group.
Genera without interve ...
of the
green algae. 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