Classification
Order of Mastigophora.
General Information
Members of the Hypermastigida (Fig. 1, page 628), like the Oxymonadida, inhabit the intestine of wood-feeding insects and are involved in the digestion of cellulose; however, the question of whether they produce the necessary enzymes themselves or whether they are obtained from endosymbiotic bacteria, has not yet been answered. Others are found in the intestine of cockroaches (e.g., Barbulanympha , see Gametes). This group is characterized by the occurrence of many repeated sets of 4 apical flagella, which are arranged in a trichomonadid-like basal pattern, thus giving them the appearance of a wild tuft. Reproduction occurs by longitudinal division, while also sexual processes are unknown. During this process the flagella become resorbed except for a set of 4; their duplication initiates the cell division and the final formation of other flagella sets. In some species transmission occurs by oral uptake of fecally passed cysts.
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© 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York
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(2008). Hypermastigida. In: Mehlhorn, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Parasitology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-48996-2_1541
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-48996-2_1541
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-48994-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-540-48996-2
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