''Amoebophilus'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of zygomycete fungi that parasitizes

amoeba An amoeba (; less commonly spelled ameba or amœba; : amoebas (less commonly, amebas) or amoebae (amebae) ), often called an amoeboid, is a type of Cell (biology), cell or unicellular organism with the ability to alter its shape, primarily by ...

Morphology

''Amoebophilus'' species are ectoparasites of amoeba. The thallus is composed of an internal

haustorium In botany and mycology, a haustorium (plural haustoria) is a rootlike structure that grows into or around another structure to absorb water or nutrients. For example, in mistletoe or members of the broomrape family, the structure penetrates th ...

that can be heart-shaped, globose, or lobose. Trailing chains of four or more conidia are produced from the haustorium. Zygospores are spherical at first and become polyhedral with age.

Ecology

''Amoebophilus'' species have been reported from forest and agricultural soils and freshwater ponds where they infect free living amoeba. Infection begins when a conidium comes in contact with an amoeba. The conidium produces a penetration tube to invade the host and form the haustorium. Once the haustorium is formed, the conidium germinates and gives rise to a chain of conidia. Due to difficulties in identifying amoeba, the host ranges of most species are unknown, with the exception of ''Amoebophilus simplex'', which is restricted to species of ''

Mayorella ''Mayorella'' is a genus of small amoeboid protists in the phylum Amoebozoa. The genus consists of amoebae that exhibit pseudopodia and feed on a variety of organisms through phagocytosis, making them an important group in microbial ecology acr ...

''.

Taxonomy

''Amoebophilus'' species were first observed by Leidy in 1874 who mistook them as part of the amoeba and used them to describe a new genus. In 1902, Penard pointed out that the filaments observed by Leidy were in fact a parasite. The genus was formerly erected by Dangeard in 1910 based on parasitized individuals of '' Pelomyxa vorax''; he named the species after Penard.

Species

*'' Amoebophilus penardii'' Dangeard *'' Amoebophilus caudatus'' Dangeard *'' Amoebophilus korotneffii'' Dangeard *'' Amoebophilus sicyosporus'' Drechsler *'' Amoebophilus dangeardii'' Miura *'' Amoebophilus simplex'' Barron

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q10408419 Zygomycota Fungus genera