Eutreptiaceae ( ICN) or Eutreptiidae (

ICZN The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals. It is also informally known as the ICZN Code, for its formal author, t ...

) is a

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

algae Algae ( , ; : alga ) is an informal term for any organisms of a large and diverse group of photosynthesis, photosynthetic organisms that are not plants, and includes species from multiple distinct clades. Such organisms range from unicellular ...

in the class

Euglenophyceae Euglenophyceae (ICNafp, proposed as a class) or Euglenea (ICZN, proposed as a class) is an unranked clade of single-celled algae belonging to the phylum Euglenozoa. They have chloroplasts originated from an event of secondary endosymbiosis with ...

. It is the only family within the

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

Eutreptiales (ICN) or Eutreptiida (ICZN). It contains predominantly marine

single-celled A unicellular organism, also known as a single-celled organism, is an organism that consists of a single cell (biology), cell, unlike a multicellular organism that consists of multiple cells. Organisms fall into two general categories: prokaryotic ...

flagellate A flagellate is a cell or organism with one or more whip-like appendages called flagella. The word ''flagellate'' also describes a particular construction (or level of organization) characteristic of many prokaryotes and eukaryotes and the ...

s with

photosynthetic Photosynthesis ( ) is a Biological system, system of biological processes by which Photoautotrophism, photosynthetic organisms, such as most plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, convert light energy, typically from sunlight, into the chemical ener ...

chloroplasts A chloroplast () is a type of membrane-bound organelle, organelle known as a plastid that conducts photosynthesis mostly in plant cell, plant and algae, algal cells. Chloroplasts have a high concentration of chlorophyll pigments which captur ...

Description

Members of the family Eutreptiaceae are unicellular

s, microscopic

eukaryote The eukaryotes ( ) constitute the Domain (biology), domain of Eukaryota or Eukarya, organisms whose Cell (biology), cells have a membrane-bound cell nucleus, nucleus. All animals, plants, Fungus, fungi, seaweeds, and many unicellular organisms ...

s or

protist A protist ( ) or protoctist is any eukaryotic organism that is not an animal, land plant, or fungus. Protists do not form a natural group, or clade, but are a paraphyletic grouping of all descendants of the last eukaryotic common ancest ...

s capable of swimming by using

flagella A flagellum (; : flagella) (Latin for 'whip' or 'scourge') is a hair-like appendage that protrudes from certain plant and animal sperm cells, from fungal spores ( zoospores), and from a wide range of microorganisms to provide motility. Many pr ...

. Each individual has two or four heterodynamic flagella, of equal or unequal length, emerging from a pocket in the

anterior Standard anatomical terms of location are used to describe unambiguously the anatomy of humans and other animals. The terms, typically derived from Latin or Greek roots, describe something in its standard anatomical position. This position pro ...

side of the cell. The cells are usually capable of extensive flexibility or

metaboly Spirocuta () is a clade of euglenids, single-celled eukaryotes or protists belonging to the phylum Euglenozoa. They are distinguished from other euglenids by active deformation of their cell shape, a process called euglenid motion or metaboly. Thi ...

, a characteristic of all spirocute

euglenid Euglenids or euglenoids are one of the best-known groups of eukaryotic flagellates: single-celled organisms with flagella, or whip-like tails. They are classified in the phylum Euglenophyta, class Euglenida or Euglenoidea. Euglenids are common ...

s. Every species of this family is

phototroph Phototrophs () are organisms that carry out photon capture to produce complex organic compounds (e.g. carbohydrates) and acquire energy. They use the energy from light to carry out various cellular metabolic processes. It is a list of common m ...

ic and found primarily in marine or brackish habitats, rarely in freshwater ecosystems.

References

{{taxonbar, from1=Q16267082, from2=Q21445685, from3=Q16260974, from4=Q61996398 Euglenozoa families Taxa described in 1942