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the web of life in southern Africa

Amoebozoa

Life > Eukaryotes

The term "amoeba" is nowadays recognised as representing a type of cellular organisation, rather that a monophyletic group. An amoeba has only one cell (unicellular) and is characterised by the way it moves by squeezing its protoplasm into temporary leg-like extensions called pseudopodia.

Classification

Acramoeba

 

Archamoebae

 
 

Entamoebidae

 
   

Entamoeba

Members of this genus are internal parasites or commensals of animals. Entamoeba histolitica causes the death of 50 000 to 100 000 people annually.

 
   

Endolimax

 
   

Iodamoeba

 
 

Mastigamoebidae

 
   

Mastigamoeba

 
   

Mastigella

 
 

Pelomyxidae

 
   

Pelomyxa

Single-celled. Have no mitochondria but instead have symbiotic bacteria that seem to perform a similar function thus illustrating how mitochondria might have started out prior to their total integration into the cellular machinery.

 
 

unplaced Archamoebae

 
   

Rhizomastix

 

Centramoebida

 
 

Acanthamoebidae

Formerly classified in the Rhizopoda (amastigote amoebas), which has now been disbanded because it is polyphyletic.

 
   

Acanthamoeba

 
   

Comandonia

 
   

Protacanthamoeba

 
 

Balamuthiidae

 
   

Balamuthia

 

Flabellinea

[=Discosea]

A group of free-living amoebae that can be found in freshwater and marine habitats, as well as in soil.

 
 

Dactylopodida

 
   

Paramoebidae

 
   

 

Korotnevella

 
   

 

Mayorella

 
   

 

Paramoeba

 
   

Squamamoeba

 
   

Vexilliferidae

 
   

 

Neoparamoeba

 
   

 

Pseudoparamoeba

 
   

 

Vexillifera

 
 

Flamella

 
 

Thecamoebidae

 
   

Dermamoeba

 
   

Paradermamoeba

 
   

Sappinia

 
   

Stenamoeba

 
   

Thecamoeba

 
 

Vannellidae

 
   

Clydonella

 
   

Lingulamoeba

 
   

Pessonella

 
   

Platyamoeba

 
   

Vannella

 
   

Vermistella

 

Himatismenida

 
 

Cochliopodiidae

 
   

Cochliopodium

 
   

Ovalopodium

 
 

Goceviidae

 
   

Gocevia

 
 

Parvamoeba

 

Multicilia

 

Mycetozoa

 
 

Dictyosteliida (dictyostelid cellular slime molds)

 
   

Acytostelium

 
   

Dictyostelium

 
   

Polysphondylium

 
 

Hyperamoeba

 
 

Myxogastria (plasmodial slime molds)

 
   

Liceales

 
   

 

Cribrariaceae

 
   

 

 

Cribraria

 
   

 

 

Dictydium

 
   

 

 

Lindbladia

 
   

 

Enteridiidae

 
   

 

 

Lycogala

 
   

 

Liceidae

 
   

 

 

Kelleromyxa

 
   

 

Reticulariaceae

 
   

 

 

Tubifera

 
   

 

Tubiferaceae

 
   

 

 

Enteridium

 
   

 

 

Tubulifera

 
   

Myxogastromycetidae

 
   

 

Echinosteliales

 
   

 

 

Clastodermataceae

 
   

 

 

 

Barbeyella

 
   

 

 

 

Clastoderma

 
   

 

 

Echinosteliidae

 
   

 

 

 

Echinostelium

 
   

 

 

Semimorula

 
   

 

Physariida

 
   

 

 

Didymiaceae

 
   

 

 

 

Diderma

 
   

 

 

 

Didymium

 
   

 

 

 

Lepidoderma

 
   

 

 

 

Mucilago

 
   

 

 

 

Pseudodidymium

 
   

 

 

Elaeomyxaceae

 
   

 

 

 

Elaeomyxa

 
   

 

 

Physaraceae

 
   

 

 

 

Badhamia

 
   

 

 

 

Craterium

 
   

 

 

 

Fuligo

 
   

 

 

 

Leocarpus

 
   

 

 

 

Physarella

 
   

 

 

 

Physarum

 
   

 

 

 

Protophysarum

 
   

Stemonitida

 
   

 

Diacheopsis

 
   

 

Macbrideola

 
   

 

Stemonitidae

 
   

 

 

Amaurochaete

 
   

 

 

Brefeldia

 
   

 

 

Colloderma

 
   

 

 

Comatricha

 
   

 

 

Diachea

 
   

 

 

Enerthenema

 
   

 

 

Lamproderma

 
   

 

 

Meriderma

 
   

 

 

Paradiacheopsis

 
   

 

 

Stemonaria

 
   

 

 

Stemonitis

 
   

 

 

Stemonitopsis

 
   

 

Symphytocarpus

 
   

Trichiida

 
   

 

Dianemataceae

 
   

 

 

Dianema

 
   

 

Trichiidae

 
   

 

 

Arcyria

 
   

 

 

Hemitrichia

 
   

 

 

Metatrichia

 
   

 

 

Perichaena

 
   

 

 

Trichia

 
 

Protosteliales

 
   

Cavosteliaceae

 
   

 

Cavostelium

 
   

 

Ceratiomyxella

 
   

 

Planoprotostelium

 
   

 

Protosporangium

 
   

Ceratiomyxaceae

 
   

 

Ceratiomyxa

 
   

Protosteliaceae

 
   

 

Clastostelium

 
   

 

Endostelium

 
   

 

Nematostelium

 
   

 

Protosteliopsis

 
   

 

Protostelium

 
   

 

Schizoplasmodiopsis

 
   

 

Schizoplasmodium

 
   

 

Soliformovum

 
   

 

Tychosporium

 

Phalansterium

 

Stereomyxa

 

Tubulinea (lobose amoebae)

 
 

Arcellinida (testate lobose amoebae)

The classification of this group is confused and I have resorted to simply listing the genera, based on information from NCBI Taxonomy Browser, Microworld website and from Lahr et al. (2013).

 
   

Alocodera

 
   

Amphizonella

 
   

Antarcella

 
   

Apodera

 
   

Arcella

 
   

Argynnia

 
   

Awerintzewia

 
   

Bullinularia

 
   

Centropyxis

 
   

Centropyxiella

 
   

Certesella

 
   

Collaripyxidia

 
   

Cornuapyxis

 
   

Cryptodifflugia

 
   

Cucurbitella

 
   

Cyclopyxis

 
   

Difflugia

 
   

Diplochlamys

 
   

Distomatopyxis

 
   

Ellipsopyxis

 
   

Ellipsopyxella

 
   

Geamphorella

 
   

Geoplagiopyxis

 
   

Geopyxella

 
   

Heleopera

In the phylogeny of Lahr et al. (2013), Heleopera is not monophyletic with the rest of Arcellinida, so I have taken it out.

 
   

Hoogenradia

 
   

Hyalosphenia

 
   

Jungia

 
   

Lagenodifflugia

 
   

Lamtopyxis

 
   

Lamtoquadrula

 
   

Leptochlamys

 
   

Lesquereusia

 
   

Maghrebia

 
   

Microchlamys

 
   

Microcorycia

 
   

Microquadrula

 
   

Nebela

Polyphyletic in classification by Lahr et al. (2013).

 
   

Netzelia

Sister group of Arcella in classification by Lahr et al. (2013).

 
   

Oopyxis

 
   

Padaungiella

 
   

Paracentropyxis

 
   

Paraquadrula

 
   

Parmulina

 
   

Penardochlamys

 
   

Pentagonia

 
   

Phryganella

 
   

Physochila

 
   

Plagiopyxis

 
   

Planhoogenradia

 
   

Pomoriella

 
   

Pontigulasia

 
   

Porosia

 
   

Proplagiopyxis

 
   

Protocucurbitella

 
   

Protoplagiopyxis

 
   

Pseudawerintzewia

 
   

Pseudonebela

 
   

Pyxidicula

 
   

Quadrulella

 
   

Sexangularia

 
   

Schoenbornia

 
   

Schwabia

 
   

Spumochlamys

 
   

Suiadifflugia

 
   

Trichosphaerium

 
   

Trigonopyxis

 
   

Wailesella

 
   

Zivkovicia

 
   

Zonomyxa

 
 

Tubulinida (including Poseidonida)

Based on the phylogeny of Lahr et al. (2013), I have collapsed Amoebidae, Hartmannellidae and Poseidonida into this monophyletic group because of various phylogenetic issues with keeping these groups separate. Tubulinida as defined here is the sister group of Arcellinida.

 
   

Amoeba

 
   

Cashia

 
   

Chaos

 
   

Copromyxa

 
   

Deuteramoeba

 
   

Gephyramoeba

 
   

Glaeseria

 
   

Hartmannella

 
   

Hydramoeba

 
   

Metachaos

 
   

Nolandella

 
   

Parachaos

 
   

Polychaos

 
   

Saccamoeba

 
   

Trichamoeba

 
   

Vermamoeba

 
 

Echinamoeboidea

 
   

Echinamoeba

 
   

Filamoeba

 
   

Gephyramoeba

 
 

Leptomyxida

 
   

Flabellula

 
   

Gephyramoeba

 
   

Leptomyxa

 
   

Paraflabellula

 
   

Rhizamoeba

 
   

Ripidomyxa

 
     
 

Stereomyxida

Two genera: Corallomyxa and Stereomyxa, both of which are marine. Corallomyxa is a large reticulate amoeba that has been found in tidal pools. Stereomyxa is an amoeba with long slender branches.

 
 

Eumycetozoa

 

 
 

Unplaced

Genera: Filamoeba, Gocevia, Hartmannia, Janickia, Malamoeba, Malpigamoeba, Multicilia, and Stygamoeba.

 
 

Unplaced (Spongomonadida)

Genera: Phalansterium, Rhipidodendron, and Spongomonas.

 

Publications

  • Adl, S.M., Simpson, A.G., Farmer, M.A., Andersen, R.A., Anderson, O.R., Barta, J.R., Bowser, S.S., Brugerolle, G., Fensome, R.A., Fredericq, S., James, T.Y., Karpov, S., Kugrens, P., Krug, J., Lane, C.E., Lewis, L.A., Lodge, J., Lynn, D.H., Mann, D.G., McCourt, R.M., Mendoza, L., Moestrup, Ø., Mozley-Standridge, S.E., Nerad, T.A., Shearer, C.A., Smirnov, A.V., Spiegel, F.W. and Taylor, M.F.J.R. 2005. The new higher level classification of eukaryotes with emphasis on the taxonomy of protists. Eukaryote Microbiology 52(5): 399-451.