Sarcodina

(invertebrate zoology) A superclass of Protozoa in the subphylum Sarcomastigophora in which movement involves protoplasmic flow, often with recognizable pseudopodia.

A superclass of Protozoa (in the subphylum Sarcomastigophora) in which movement involves protoplasmic flow, often with recognizable pseudopodia. Gametes may be flagellated, as in certain Foraminiferida. Most species are floating or creeping; a few are sessile. The pellicle is relatively thin, and the body is apt to be plastic unless restrained by skeletal structures. Sarcodina live in fresh, brackish, or salt waters; soil or sand; and as endoparasites in animals and plants. A group may be limited to a specific habitat, but many have a rather wide range. Sarcodina include two major classes: Rhizopodea and Actinopodea. See also Actinopodea; Rhizopodea; Sarcomastigophora.

Also called amoebae, a subphylum of sarcomastigophora of parasitic protozoa, which causes diseases such as dysentery and meningocephalitis by drinking, swimming, or bathing in water contaminated with feces.

A subphylum of Protozoa, including all the amebae, both freeliving and parasitic, characterized by the ability to produce pseudopodia during most of the life cycle; flagella, when present, develop only during the early stages.