General Characters and Classification of Kingdom Protista upto Classes

ACADEMIC SCRIPT

INTRODUCTION:

The protozoa may be defined as microscopic, acellular, animalcules existing singly

or in colonies, without tissues and organs, having one or more nuclei. When in
colonies, they differ from metazoan in having all the individuals alike except those
engaged in reproductive activities.

GENERAL CHARACTERS:

1. Small usually microscopic and can be seen with naked eyes.

2. Simplest and most primitive of all animals, with protoplasmic grade of organization.
3. Body unicellular with one or more than one nuclei.
4. Body naked or covered by pellicle but in some forms body is covered with shells
and often provided with internal skeleton.
5. Solitary or forming loose colonies in which individuals remain alike and
independent.
6. Symmetry-non-symmetrical, bilateral, radial, spherical.
7. Body form usually constant, varied in some, while changing with environment or
age in many.
8. The single cell body performs all the essential and vital activities, which
characterize the animal body; hence only sub cellular physiological division of
labour.
9. Body protoplasm is differentiated into an outer ectoplasm and inner endoplasm.
10. Locomotery organelles are pseudopodia, flagella and cilia or sometimes organs
absent.
11. Nutrition may be holozoic (animal-like), holophytic (plant-like), saprozoic or
parasitic. Digestion intracellular, takes place inside the food vacuoles.
12. Respiration occurs by diffusion through general body surface.
13. Excretion:Through contractile vacuoles or generally through body surface.
14. Reproduction: Asexually or sexually. Asexual by binary or multiple fission and
budding, and sexual by conjugation of adults (hologamy) or by fusion of gametes
(syngamy).
15. Life histories: Often complicated by alternation of generation, i.e., it includes
asexual and sexual phases.
16. Encystment: Helps in dispersal and resist unfavorable condition.
17. Habit and habitat: These are ubiquitous or cosmopolitan. Free living protozoans
are usually aquatic (marine or fresh water). Several protozoans are commensal,
symbiotic and parasitic species.
18. The single-celled individual not differentiated into somatoplasm and germplasm;
therefore, exempt from natural death which is the price paid for the body.
19. About 50000 known species, of which some are fossil and approximately 10,000
are parasitic.

CLASSIFICATION:

Phylum Protozoa is a large and diverse group and poses a lot of problems in its
classification. The classification followed here is a given by the committee on
Taxonomy and Taxonomic problems of the society of protozoologists, and mainly
proposed by B.M. Honigberg et al., (1964). According to Honigberg et al., protozoa
have been classified into four subphyla. They are Sarcomastigophora, Sporozoa,
Cnidospora and Ciliophora. Only important orders are discussed here.

Subphylum I: Sarcomastogophora
- Organelles of locomotion are pseudopodia or flagella
- Nuclei of one kind (monomorphic)
- No spore formation and syngamy occurs in reproduction

Superclass A: Mastigophora
- They are commonly called flagellates
- Simple, Primitive, with firm pellicle
- Locomotor organelles flagella
- Binary fission is longitudinal
- They are mostly free-living though some are parasitic
-Nutrition autotrophic or heterotrophic, or both

Class 1: Phytomastigophora
- They generally possess chromatophores
- Nutrition mainly holophytic by phototrophy
- The nucleus is vesicular
- There are usually 1 or 2 flagella

Order 1: Chrysomonadida
- Small flagellates with yellow or brown chromatophores
- One to three flagella
- Gullet absent. Stigma often present
- Siliceous cysts
-Marine and freshwater
Examples: Chrysamoeba, Synura, Ochromonas, Dinobryon

Order 2: Cryptomonadida
- Small with rigid pellicle
- Two flagella
- Anterior gullet reaches up to middle of body
- They have green, yellow, brown or colorless chromatophores which form starch
Examples: Chilomonas, Cryptomonas

Order 3: Euglenida
- They have one or two flagella
- Pellicle is thick
- There is a mouth and reservoir which contains the roots of flagella and receives
the contents of the contractile vacuole
- Chromatophores numerous, green or colorless
- Reserve food stuff paramylon and oils
Examples: Euglena, Peranema, Phacus, Copromonas

Order 4: Volvocida
- Body is covered with cellulose
- There are two flagella
- No gullet
- Chromatophores are green, cup-shaped
- Reserve food stuff starch and oils
- They show syngamy
Examples: Volvox, Chlamydomonas

Order 5: Chloromonadida
- Small, dorso-ventrally flat
- Pellicle delicate
- Gullet present
- Chromatophores green and numerous
- Reserve food stuff oils
Examples: Vacularia, Coelomonas, Gonyostomum

Order 6: Dinoflagellida
- There are two flagella, one lying transversely and the other pointing backwards
- Body is covered with thick cellulose
- Chromatophores are green, yellow or brown
- Reserve food is starch and oil
- Some are bioluminescent
Examples: Noctiluca, Ceratium

Class 2: Zoomastigophorea
- Chlorophyll or chromatophores absent
- Most of them are parasitic
- Nutrition holozoic or saprozoic
- There are one or many flagella
- Often there is an undulating membrane
- Reserve food glycogen

Order 1: Rhizomastigida
- They have pseudopodia and one to four flagella for locomotion
- They are mostly free living, small, amoeboid and fresh water form
Examples: Mastigamoeba, Dimorpha

Order 2: Kinetoplastida
- Flagella one to four
- Gullet absent
- They are parasitic form
- Kinetoplast present
Examples: Bodo, Leishmania, Trypanosoma
Order 3: Choanoflagellida
- Possess single flagellum surrounded by collar at its base
- They are free-living, single or colonial
Examples: Proterospongia

Order 4: Diplomonadida
- They are binucleate flagellates having bilateral symmetry
- Flagella two to eight
- They are mostly intestinal parasites
Examples: Giardia, Hexamita (Hepamita)

Order 5: Hypermastigida
- They are highly specialized and bear numerous flagella
- Nucleus arranged in a circle, plate or longitudinal or spiral rows
- No mouth, food ingested through pseudopodia
- Living parasitic life in termites and cockroaches
Examples: Lophomonas, Trychonympha

Order 6: Trichomonadida
- Flagella four to six
- One flagellum trailing
- Parasites of vertebrate animals
Example: Trichomonas

Superclass B: Opalinata
- They have numerous cilia –like organelles in oblique rows all over the body
- Cyclostome absent
- Nuclei two to many, monomorphic
- Reproduction by symmetrogenic binary fission or by syngamy of anisogametes
- All are parasitic
Example: Opalina

Superclass C: Sarcodina
- Locomotion through pseudopodia
- Body amoeboid without definite pellicle
- Some have a hard shell
- Nutrition holozoic or saprozoic
- Formation of gametes and flagellated young ones are common

Class 1: Rhizopodea
- Locomotion through lobopodia or filopodia
- Generally creeping forms

Subclass (a): Lobosia

- Pseudopodia are typically lobose rarely filiform

Order 1: Amoebida
- They are amoeboid and uninucleate
-Protoplasm is clearly differentiated into ectoplasm and endoplasm
- Largely fresh water and free living. Many parasitic
Examples: Amoeba, Entamoeba, Pelomyxa

Order 2: Arcellinida
- Body encased in one-chambered shell of pseudochitin
- Pseudopodia comes out through a definite aperture
- They are free living, mostly in fresh water
Examples: Arcella, Difflugia, Euglypha

Subclass (b): Filosia

- Pseudopodia as filopodia
- Body naked or with shell contains single aperture
Example: Allogromia, Penardia

Subclass (c): Granuloreticulosia

- They have finely granular reticulose rhizopodia

Order: Foraminiferida
- Large sized with uni- or multichambered calcareous shell
- Pseudopodia emerge from aperture or wall perforation or both
-Reproduction with alternation of sexual and asexual generations
Examples: Globigerina, Elphidium
Class 2: Actinopodea
- Their organelles of locomotion are delicate, axopodia with axial filaments, radiating
from a spherical body

Subclass (a): Heliozoia

- Spherical protozoans with radiating axopodia
- Naked, if a skeleton is present is of siliceous scales and spines
- There may be more than one nucleus, mostly in fresh water
Examples: Actinophrys, Actinosphaerium, Clathrulina

Subclass (b): Radiolaria

-Body naked or with perforated chitinoid central capsule separating ectoplasm from
endoplasm
- Filopodia or axopodia are present
-They have spicules or a siliceous skeleton
Examples: Collozoum, Thalassicola

Subclass (c): Acantharia

- Imperforate non-chitinoid central capsule without pores
- Anisotropic skeleton of strontium sulphate
- Pseudopodia are axopodia
Example: Acanthometra

Subclass (d): Proteomyxidia

- Largely marine and fresh water parasites of algae and higher plants
- Pseudopodia are filopodia
Example: Vampyrella, Pseudospora

Class 3: Piroplasmea
- Small, round, rod-shaped or amoeboid parasites in vertebrate red blood cells
Example: Babesia
Subphylum II: Sporozoa
- The adult has no external organs of locomotion
- Spores usually present
- Live endoparasitic life
- Gametes contain cilia or flagella
- Nucleus is of the single type

Class 1: Telosporea
-Pseudopodia absent and locomotion is by gliding or body flexion
-Spores without polar capsules and filaments, naked or encysted
-Reproduction- Sexual and asexual

Subclass 1: Gregarinia
-Mature trophozoites are large and extracellular in the body of the host
-Reproduction- Sexual with sporogony
-They are parasites in the alimentary tract and body cavity of invertebrates
Examples: Monocystis, Gregarina

Subclass (b): Coccidia/ Apicomplexa

- Mature trophozoite is small and typically intracellular
- Parasites in the digestive tract or blood
- Gamatocytes are dimorphic
-Each oocyst produces many sporozoites which multiply by schizogony in tissue
cells
Examples: Eimeria, Isospora, Plasmodium

Class 2: Toxoplasmea
- Spores are absent
- Flagella or pseudopodia completely absent
- Asexual reproduction by binary fission
Example: Toxoplasma

Class 3: Haplosporea
- Spores are present
- Only asexual reproduction and schizogony takes place
- Flagella absent
- Pseudopodia may be present
Example: Ichthyosporidium
Subphylum III: Cnidospora
- Spores with several cells having one or more polar filaments
- All are parasitic

Class 1: Myxosporidea
- Spores are large and multinuclear
- There are one or more sporoplasms, with two or three valves
- They are parasitic in fishes
Examples: Myxidium, Myxobolus, Ceratomyxa

Class 2: Microsporidea
- Spores are small and unicellular origin
- Spores with one valve through which sporoplasm emerge
- They are intracellular parasites in Arthropods and vertebrates
Example: Nosema
Subphylum IV: Ciliophora
-Presence of ciliary organelles for locomotion and feeding organelles at some stage.
-They have two nuclei
-They usually have a cytostome

Class: Ciliata
- Locomotion by numerous cilia
- Definite mouth and gullet present excluding parasitic form
- Anal aperture present
- Two types of nuclei, one vegetative (macro-nucleus) and the other reproductive
(micro-nucleus)
- Contractile vacuoles present

Subclass (a): Holotricha

- With simple or uniform body cilia
- Buccal cilia mostly absent
Order 1: Gymnostomatida
- Chifely large ciliates without oral ciliature
- Cytostome opens directly to outside
Examples: Coleps, Dileptus, Didinium, Prorodon

Order 2: Trichostomatida
- With vestibular but no buccal ciliature
Examples: Balantidium, Colpoda

Order 3: Chonotrichida
- Vase shaped ciliates without body cilia
- A funnel at the free end of the body contain vestibular cilia
- Chiefly marine
Examples: Spirochona, Lobochona

Order 4: Apostomatida
- Body with spirally arranged ciliation
- Cytostome mid-ventral
- Marine parasites or commensals
- Life cycle complex involve two hosts
Example: Hyalophysa

Order 5: Astomatida
- Body ciliation uniform
- Cytostome absent
Examples: Anoplophyrya, Maupasella

Order 6: Hymenostomatida
- Uniform body ciliation
- Buccal cavity ventral with ciliary membranes
Examples: Colpidium, Paramecium

Subclass (b): Peritricha

- Adult usually lacks body cilia
- Apical end of the body bears buccal ciliature
Order: Peritrichida

Subclass (c): Suctoria

- Sessile, Stalked ciliates with the distal end bearing few to many tentacles
- Ciliature absent in adult stage
Examples: Vorticella, Carchesium

Order: Suctorida
Examples: Acineta, Ephelota, Podophyra

Subclass (d): Spirotrichia

- Generally reduced body cilia
- Well marked buccal ciliature

Order 1: Heterotrichida
- Body cilia short, uniform or body encased in a lorica and body cilia absent.
Examples: Stentor, Bursaria, Spirostomum

Order 2: Oligotrichida
- Small ciliates with body cilia reduced or absent
- Buccal membranes conspicuous, extending around apical end of body
Examples: Strombidium, Halteria

Order 3: Hypotrichida
-Dorsoventrally flattened ciliates in which body cilia are restricted to fused tufts of
cilia or cirri located at ventral side
Examples: Euplotes, Stylonchia