Overview
(Gr. riza: root; pous, podos: foot) A phylum of the Protoctista that contains the amoebas and cellular slime moulds. They are characterized by the possession of pseudopodia, which are used for locomotion and engulfing food particles. Rhizopods are found in freshwater and marine habitats and the soil. The amoebas reproduce by binary fission, whereas the cellular slime moulds aggregate into a slimy mass that produces spores. See Amoeba; protozoa.asp">also Amoeba; protozoa.
Taxonomy
The Class Rhizopoda is further organized into finer groupings including:
- Order (1): Foraminiferida
- Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 190 species and subspecies in the Class Rhizopoda.
Orders
Foraminiferida
The Foraminifera, ("Hole Bearers") or forams for short, are a large group of amoeboid protists with reticulating pseudopods, fine strands of cytoplasm that branch and merge to form a dynamic net. They typically produce a test, or shell, which can have either one or multiple chambers, some becoming quite elaborate in structure. About 275,000 species are recognized, both living and fossil. They are usually less than 1 mm in size, but some are much larger, and the largest recorded specimen reached 19 cm. [more]
At least 3,898 species and subspecies belong to the Order Foraminiferida.
More info about the Order Foraminiferida may be found here.
Sources
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