| Tectofilosida | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Two preserved specimens ofCapsellina sp. (Chlamydophryidae), from theEugène Penard collection | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Clade: | Sar |
| Clade: | Rhizaria |
| Phylum: | Cercozoa |
| Class: | Thecofilosea |
| Subclass: | Tectosia Cavalier-Smith 2012 |
| Order: | Tectofilosida Cavalier-Smith & Chao, 2003[1] |
| Suborders and families | |
| |
Thetectofilosids are a group of filoseamoebae with shells. These are composed of organic materials and sometimes collected debris, in contrast to theeuglyphids, which produce shells from siliceous scales. The shell usually has a single opening, but inAmphitrema and a few other genera it has two on opposite ends. The cell itself occupies most of the shell. They are most often found on marsh plants such asSphagnum.
This group was previously classified as the Gromiida or Gromiina. However, molecular studies separateGromia from the others, which must therefore be renamed. They are placed among theCercozoa, and presumably developed fromflagellates likeCryothecomonas, which has a similar test. However, only a few have been studied in detail, so their relationships andmonophyly are not yet certain.
In a recent classification, the group Tectofilosida was not used: Chlamydophryidae, Psammonobiotidae,Pseudodifflugiidae and Volutellidae were dispersally placed inThecofilosea, whileAmphitremidae was included inLabyrinthulomycetes.[2]
Lithocollidae was formerly placed in Tectofilosida,[3] but 18S rRNA-based molecular phylogenetic analyses show it is actually part ofNucleariida.[4]
