Microsporidia - Classification

Classification

For some time microsporidia were considered as very primitive eukaryotes, especially because of the lack of mitochondria, and placed along with the other Protozoa such as diplomonads, parabasalia and archamoebae in the protist-group Archezoa. More recent research has falsified this theory of early origin (for all of these). Yet microsporidia are proposed to be highly developed and specialized organisms, which just dispensed functions that are needed no longer, because they are supplied by the host. Furthermore, spore-forming organisms in general do have a complex system of reproduction, both sexual and asexual, which look far from primitive.

Nowadays microsporidia are placed within the Fungi or as a sister-group of the Fungi with a common ancestor.

Forming of clades is largely based on habitat and host. Three classes of Microsporidia are proposed by Vossbrinck and Debrunner-Vossbrinck, based on the habitat: Aquasporidia, Marinosporidia and Terresporidia.

One classification could be:

1. Subclass: Dihaplophasea
   • Order: Meiodihaplophasida
     • Superfamily Thelohanioidea
       • Family Thelohaniidae
       • Family Duboscqiidae
       • Family Janacekiidae
       • Family Pereziidae
       • Family Striatosporidae
       • Family Cylindrosporidae
     • Superfamily Burenelloidea
       • Family Burenellidae
     • Superfamily Amblyosporoidae
       • Family Amblyosporidae
   • Order Dissociodihaplophasida
     • Superfamily Nosematoidea
       • Family Nosematidae
       • Family Ichthyosporidiidae
       • Family Caudosporidae
       • Family Pseudopleistophoridae
       • Family Mrazekiidae
     • Superfamily Culicosporoidea
       • Family Culicosporidae
       • Family Culicosporellidae
       • Family Golbergiidae
       • Family Spragueidae
     • Superfamily Ovavesiculoidea
       • Family Ovavesiculidae
       • Family Tetramicridae
2. Subclass Haplophasea
   • Order Glugeida

   • Family Glugeidae
   • Family Pleistophoridae
   • Family Encephalitozoonidae
   • Family Abelsporidae
   • Family Tuzetiidae
   • Family Microfilidae
   • Family Unikaryonidae

   • Order Chyridiopsida

   • Family Chytridiopsida
   • Family Buxtehudiidae
   • Family Enterocytozoonidae
   • Family Burkeidae