Amoebozoa

Definition
noun
A taxonomic group including the amoeboid protists that are characterized by having pseudopods and a cell divided into endoplasm and ectoplasm layers
Supplement
The amoebozoans include protists that are distinguished by possessing pseudopods. Pseudopods are temporary cytoplasmic projections of the cell membrane that are used for locomotion and/or feeding. In particular, an amoeba moves in a distinctively crawling-like manner. The cell forms pseudopods towards the front of the cell. The cytoplasm of an amoeba contains plasmasol surrounded by a more viscous plasmagel. The plasmagel turns into plasmasol causing the cytoplasm to slide and form a pseudopodium in front thereby moving the cell forward. This form of locomotion is referred to as an amoeboid movement. The cell’s cytoplasm of amoebozoans may be divided into two layers: endoplasm and ectoplasm. The endoplasm is a granular central mass whereas the ectoplasm is the clear, outer part of the cytoplasm.
Amoebozoa is ranked as a phylum in Kingdom Protista¹ (or Kingdom Protozoa) ². However, it is regarded as supergroup by the International Society of Protistologists.³ This group includes amoeboid protists such as Entamoeba spp., Endolimax spp., Chaos spp., Pelomyxa spp., Amoeba spp., etc. This group includes several varieties of slime molds as well.
Scientific classification:

• Domain: Eukaryota
• Phylum: Amoebozoa

See also:

Mentioned in:

• Entamoeba coli
• Entamoeba histolytica

Reference(s):

¹ Corliss, J. O. (1984). “The Kingdom Protista and its 45 Phyla”. BioSystems 17 (2): 87–126.

² Cavalier-Smith, T. (2003). “Protist phylogeny and the high-level classification of Protozoa”. European Journal of Protistology 39 (4): 338–348.

³ Adl, S. M. et al. (2012). “The Revised Classification of Eukaryotes”. Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology 59 (5): 429–514.