Cryomonadida is a group of heterotrophic protist

Protist

Protists are a diverse group of eukaryotic microorganisms. Historically, protists were treated as the kingdom Protista, which includes mostly unicellular organisms that do not fit into the other kingdoms, but this group is contested in modern taxonomy...

s, that belong to the Cercozoa

Cercozoa

The Cercozoa are a group of protists. They are sometimes described as a kingdom.-Characteristics:The group includes most amoeboids and flagellates that feed by means of filose pseudopods. These may be restricted to part of the cell surface, but there is never a true cytostome or mouth as found in...

.

Characteristics

Members of the Cryomonadida are single-celled organisms that are surrounded by a shell comprising layers of organic material. They possess two unequally long flagella

Flagellum

A flagellum is a tail-like projection that protrudes from the cell body of certain prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, and plays the dual role of locomotion and sense organ, being sensitive to chemicals and temperatures outside the cell. There are some notable differences between prokaryotic and...

, and a single nucleus with a distinct nucleolus

Nucleolus

The nucleolus is a non-membrane bound structure composed of proteins and nucleic acids found within the nucleus. Ribosomal RNA is transcribed and assembled within the nucleolus...

. They have a laterally located cytostome

Cytostome

A cytostome or cell mouth is a part of a cell specialized for phagocytosis, usually in the form of a microtubule-supported funnel or groove. Food is directed into the cytostome, and sealed into vacuoles. Only certain groups of protozoa, such as the ciliates and excavates, have cytostomes. Such...

, from which pseudopodia arise.

Systematics

The order

Order (biology)

In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...

 Cryomonadida was erected in 1993 for the genus Cryothecomonas. In 2005, Sina Adl et al. did not include the order in their classification, but placed the genus incertae sedis

Incertae sedis

, is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Uncertainty at specific taxonomic levels is attributed by , , and similar terms.-Examples:*The fossil plant Paradinandra suecica could not be assigned to any...

among the Cercozoa

Cercozoa

The Cercozoa are a group of protists. They are sometimes described as a kingdom.-Characteristics:The group includes most amoeboids and flagellates that feed by means of filose pseudopods. These may be restricted to part of the cell surface, but there is never a true cytostome or mouth as found in...

. It became clear, however, that other genera, and taxa known only from environmental DNA, belonged in this group, and so in 2008 Jan Pawlowski placed the Cryomonadida as part of the core Cercozoa.

Within the Cercozoa, the sister taxon to Cryomonadida is Ebriacea; Pseudodifflugia

Pseudodifflugia

Pseudodifflugia is a genus of rhizaria.It was characterized in 1845....

is also closely related.

The following genera are included:

• Cryothecomonas
• Protaspis grandis
• Lecythium
  Lecythium
  Lecythium is a genus of fungi within the class Sordariomycetes. The relationship of this taxon to other taxa within the class is unknown ....