Gymnophryidae is a small
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
of
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
microtubules 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 for catching food and other uses; and commonly ...
. They are included among the
Cercozoa (along with ''Lecythium''),
but differ from other cercozoans in having
mitochondria with flat
cristae, rather than tubular cristae.
''Gymnophrys cometa'', found in
freshwater and soil, is representative of the group. The cell body is under 10 μm in size, and has a pair of reduced
flagella, 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 ...
s and
cyst
A cyst is a closed sac, having a distinct envelope and division compared with the nearby tissue. Hence, it is a cluster of cells that have grouped together to form a sac (like the manner in which water molecules group together to form a bubble) ...
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''
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