Life stages and tentative life cycle of Psorospermium haeckeli, a species of the novel DRIPs clade from the animal‐fungal dichotomy

摘要: Psorospermium haeckeli, an enigmatic parasite of freshwater crayfish, recently was assigned to the newly established DRIPs clade, which is considered constitute most basal branch Animalia close animal-fungal dichotomy (Ragan et al. [1996] Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 93:11907–11912). So far, only lifestages known were immobile sporocysts located within connective tissue various organs and smaller developmental stages these sporocysts. After prolonged incubation from infected crayfish in we have obtained free-living amoeboid organisms that hatched decaying tissue. The results further experiments on transmission as well a futile search for additional hosts suggest diphasic life cycle haeckeli comprising histozoic phase. investigated by light electron microscopy compared other species, protists, lower animal fungal groups. morphological characters elaborated fit into proposed taxonomic position dichotomy. Therefore, together with may give idea types animals fungi evolved. J. Exp. Zool. 283:31–42, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.