Phycomycetes or algal fungi is an obsolete

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage that includes organisms with mixed evolutionary origin but does not include their most recent common ancestor. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as Homoplasy, homoplasies ...

taxon for certain fungi with aseptate hyphae. It is used in the Engler system. Asexual reproduction takes place by zoospores (motile) or by Aplanospores (non-motile). These spores are endogenously produced in sporangium. A zygospore is formed by fusion of two gametes. These gametes are similar in morphology ( isogamous) or dissimilar ( anisogamous or oogamous). The class Phycomycetes has been abolished and in its place exists Zygomycetes, Chytridiomycetes, Plasmodiophoromycetes, Hyphochytridiomycetes, Trichomycetes (including Harpellales, Asellariales, Eccrinales and Amoebidiales) and Oomycetes. Still, "Phycomycetes" can be used to refer to all the above-mentioned classes as a whole. The members of this group are found in aquatic habitats and on decaying wood in moist and damp places or as obligate parasites on plants. The

mycelium Mycelium (: mycelia) is a root-like structure of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. Its normal form is that of branched, slender, entangled, anastomosing, hyaline threads. Fungal colonies composed of mycelium are fo ...

is aseptate and coenocytic. Asexual reproduction by zoospore or by aplanospore. A zygospore is formed by the fusion of two

gamete A gamete ( ) is a Ploidy#Haploid and monoploid, haploid cell that fuses with another haploid cell during fertilization in organisms that Sexual reproduction, reproduce sexually. Gametes are an organism's reproductive cells, also referred to as s ...

s. Examples are '' Mucor'', '' Rhizopus'', '' Albugo'', '' Saprolegnia''.

References

Parasitic fungi Obsolete fungus taxa {{fungus-stub

See also

References