The genus ''Aplanochytrium'' is part of the class
Labyrinthulomycetes
Labyrinthulomycetes (ICNafp) or Labyrinthulea (ICZN) is a class of protists that produce a network of filaments or tubes, which serve as tracks for the cells to glide along and absorb nutrients for them. The two main groups are the labyrinthul ...
. It is a sister genus of ''
Labyrinthula'' and
thraustochytrids. The major characteristic of all three genera is the production of an extension of the
plasma membrane
The cell membrane (also known as the plasma membrane or cytoplasmic membrane, and historically referred to as the plasmalemma) is a biological membrane that separates and protects the interior of a cell from the outside environment (the extr ...
and the ectoplasm called the
ectoplasmic net, but its use is different in each genera. ''Aplanochytrium'' cells are not embedded in the ectoplasmic net but can move by gliding on the ectoplasmic threads.
Cells of the genus ''Aplanochytrium'' multiply by forming