Oxymonad

Oxymonads
Monocercomonoides melolanthae
Scientific classification
Domain:
(unranked):
Phylum:
Class:
Order:
Oxymonadida

Grassé 1952 emend. Cavalier-Smith 2003
Families
  • Oxymonadidae
  • Polymastigidae
  • Pyrsonymphidae
  • Saccinobaculidae
Synonyms
  • Oxymonadales
  • Polymastigales Engler 1898
  • Polymastigida Calkins 1902
  • Polymastigina Blochmann 1895
  • Polymastigoda Seligo 1886
  • Pyrsonymphales
  • Pyrsonymphida Grassé 1952

The Oxymonads (or Oxymonadida) are a group of flagellated protists found exclusively in the intestines of animals, mostly termites and other wood-eating insects. Along with the similar parabasalid flagellates, they harbor the symbiotic bacteria that are responsible for breaking down cellulose. There is no evidence for presence of mitochondria (not even anaerobic mitochondrion-like organelles like hydrogenosomes or mitosomes) in oxymonads and three species have been shown to completely lack any molecular markers of mitochondria.

It includes e.g. Dinenympha, Pyrsonympha, Oxymonas, Streblomastix, Monocercomonoides, and Blattamonas.