The Amoebidae are a family of
Amoebozoa,
including naked amoebae that produce multiple pseudopodia of indeterminate length. These are roughly cylindrical with granular endoplasm and no subpseudopodia, as found in other members of the class
Tubulinea
The Tubulinea are a major grouping of Amoebozoa, including most of the more familiar amoebae genera like ''Amoeba'', '' Arcella'', ''Difflugia'' and '' Hartmannella''.
Characteristics
During locomotion most Tubulinea have a roughly cylindrical f ...
. During locomotion one pseudopod typically becomes dominant and the others are retracted as the body flows into it. In some cases the cell moves by "walking", with relatively permanent
pseudopodia serving as limbs.
The most important genera are ''
Amoeba
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 pseudop ...
'' and ''
Chaos
Chaos or CHAOS may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional elements
* Chaos (''Kinnikuman'')
* Chaos (''Sailor Moon'')
* Chaos (''Sesame Park'')
* Chaos (''Warhammer'')
* Chaos, in ''Fabula Nova Crystallis Final Fantasy''
* Cha ...
'', which are set apart from the others by longitudinal ridges. The best known of the species in this family is ''
Amoeba proteus
''Amoeba proteus'' is a large species of amoeba closely related to another genus of giant amoebae, '' Chaos''. As such, the species is sometimes given the alternative scientific name ''Chaos diffluens''.
This protozoan uses extensions called pseu ...
'', commonly used in classrooms to demonstrate movement by pseudopodia.
References
Amoebozoa families
Taxa named by Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg
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