INFORMATION ABOUT PROTOZOA AND THEIR CLASSIFICATION................................

1. By:
AJAY KUMAR MANDAL

2. PROTOZOA
• Protozoa means first animals and includes
unicellular consumers.
• They are included under the kingdom protista.
• There are about 92,000 species of protozoans.
• Anton von leeuwenhoek was the first to
observe a protozoan (vorticella convellaria)
under a microscope.
• Goldfuss coined the term protozoa .

3. General characteristics
• The body is unicellular and this single cell performs all
functions and life activities.
• They exhibit protoplasmic grade of organization.
• They are either solitary or colonial , free living or symbiotic.
• Many forms go encystment to tide over unfavourable
conditions.
• Somatoplasm and germplasm are not differentiated hence
they are immortal
We are the
world ^__^

4. Body symmetry spherical , radial , bilateral or absent
locomotion Pseudopodia , cilia , flagella or myonemes
nutrition Holozoic , holophytic , osmotropic or
mixotropic
respiration Diffusion or anaerobic
excretion Diffusion or contactile vacuoles
Asexual reproduction Binnary fission , multiple fission ,
plasmotomy or budding
Sexual reproduction Syngamy or conjugation
digestion intracellular

5. PROTOZOA
cILIOPHORA CNIDOSPORA
MICRO
SPORIDEA
MYXO
SPORIDEA
SPOROZOA
HAPLOSPOREa
TELOSPORA
SARCOMASTI
GOPHORA
SARCODINA
RHIZOPODEA
PIROPLASMEA
ACTINPODEA
OPALINATA
MASTIGO
PHORA
PHYTOMAS
TIGOPHORA
ZOOMASTi
GOPHORA
CLASSIFICATION
PROTOZOA

6. CILIOPHORA
•Complex protozoans.
•Cilia are useful in locomotion
and food capturing.
•Infraciliary system is present.
•Nuclear dimorphism is seen
where micronucleus is
reproductive and diploid and
macronucleus is vegetative and
polyploid.
•Sexual reproduction by
conjugation.
•Asexual reproduction by binary
fission or budding.
•Eg : paramecium
PARAMECIUM

7. CNIDOSPORA
• These are parasitic without any locomotory structures.
• Spores are provided with one or more polar filaments which
is discharged and attached to the host tissue during
infection.
MYXOSPORIDEA
Extracellular parasites with 2 polar
filaments.
Ex : myxobolus
MICROSPORIDEA
Intracellular parasites with a single
polar filament.
Ex : nosema bombycis

8. SPOROZOA
• Parasitic without special locomotory structures .
• Pseudopodia if present useful only in ingestion.
• They bear an apical complex anteriorly for penetration into
host cells.
TELOSPOREA
Spores are long
Reproduction is asexual and
sexual ( iso/anisogamy ) .
plasmodium
HAPLOSPOREA
Spores are amoeboid
Only asexual reproduction
by mutiple fission .
haplosporidium
TOXOPLASMA
Spores are absent
Reproduction only asexual
by endodyogeny .
toxoplasma

9. SARCOMASTIGOPHORA
• Locomotion is brought about by pseudopodia
or flagella.
• It is divided into 3 superclass : -
Mastigophora - locomotor organelles is flagella.
Opalinata - locomotor organelle is cilia.
Sarcodina - locomotor organelle is pseudopodia.

10. MASTIGOPHORA
• PHYTOMASTIGOPHOREA
• free living chloroplast
bearing flagellates.
• Nutrition is autotrophic or
heterotrophic.
• ZOOMASTIGOPHOREA
• Parasitic without
chloroplast.
• Nutrition is holozoic or
saprobic.
euglena trypnosoma

11. OPALINATA
•They are commensals or parasites
found in the gut of anurans.
•Body is covered by oblique rows of
cilia but they lack infraciliary system.
•Some are binucleate and others
mutinucleate but all are
homokaryotic.
•Asexual reproduction is by
longitudinal binary fission or
plasmotomy.
•Sexual reproduction is by anisogamy.
OPALINA

12. SARCODINA
• Locomotion is brought about by pseudopodia .
They are divided into 3 classes :
1. Rhizopodea – locomotion is by lobopodia or
filopodia (amoeba) or by reticulopodia
(foraminiferans).they are mostly free living.
2. Piroplasmea – locomotory structures are absent
as spores are absent. They are parasitic. Ex –
babesia.
3. Actinopodea – they have axopodia for locomtion
and they are marine or fresh water forms. Ex -
actinophrys

13. RHIZOPODEA PIROPLASMEA ACTINOPODEA
AMOEBA BABESIA ACTINOPHHRYS