Hyperamoeba
Encyclopedia
Hyperamoeba is a former genus of amoeboid
protist
s, described in 1923. It has been shown to be polyphyletic
, and the species formerly contained in it have been divided among the genera Physarum
, Stemonitis
and Didymium.
Amoeboid
Amoeboids are single-celled life-forms characterized by an irregular shape."Amoeboid" and "amœba" are often used interchangeably even by biologists, and especially refer to a creature moving by using pseudopodia. Most references to "amoebas" or "amoebae" are to amoeboids in general rather than to...
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, described in 1923. It has been shown to be polyphyletic
Polyphyly
A polyphyletic group is one whose members' last common ancestor is not a member of the group.For example, the group consisting of warm-blooded animals is polyphyletic, because it contains both mammals and birds, but the most recent common ancestor of mammals and birds was cold-blooded...
, and the species formerly contained in it have been divided among the genera Physarum
Physarum
Physarum is a genus of slime molds containing the following species:*Physarum albescens*Physarum album*Physarum bivalve*Physarum bogoriense*Physarum cinereum*Physarum compressum*Physarum confertum...
, Stemonitis
Stemonitis
Stemonitis is a distinctive genus of slime molds found throughout the world . They are characterised by the tall brown sporangia, supported on slender stalks, which grow in clusters on rotting wood...
and Didymium.