In some older systems of classification, Zoomastigophora is a phylum (more commonly known as zooflagellates) within the kingdom

Protista A protist () is any eukaryotic organism (that is, an organism whose cells contain a cell nucleus) that is not an animal, plant, or fungus. While it is likely that protists share a common ancestor (the last eukaryotic common ancestor), the exc ...

. Organisms within this group have a spherical, elongated body with a single central nucleus. They are single-celled,

heterotrophic A heterotroph (; ) is an organism that cannot produce its own food, instead taking nutrition from other sources of organic carbon, mainly plant or animal matter. In the food chain, heterotrophs are primary, secondary and tertiary consumers, but ...

eukaryotes and may form symbiotic relationships with other organisms, including

Trichomonas ''Trichomonas'' is a genus of anaerobic excavate parasites of vertebrates. It was first discovered by Alfred François Donné in 1836 when he found these parasites in the pus of a patient suffering from vaginitis, an inflammation of the vagina. ...

. Some species are parasitic, causing diseases such as the African Sleeping Sickness, caused by the zooflagellate ''

Trypanosoma brucei ''Trypanosoma brucei'' is a species of parasitic kinetoplastid belonging to the genus '' Trypanosoma'' that is present in sub-Saharan Africa. Unlike other protozoan parasites that normally infect blood and tissue cells, it is exclusively extrace ...

''. Zooflagellates have one or more flagella but do not have plastids or cell walls. A few are mutualistic, such as those that live in the guts of

termite Termites are small insects that live in colonies and have distinct castes (eusocial) and feed on wood or other dead plant matter. Termites comprise the infraorder Isoptera, or alternatively the epifamily Termitoidae, within the order Blatto ...

s and aid the bacteria present in breaking down wood.

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Eukaryote phyla Obsolete eukaryote taxa {{Eukaryote-stub