Blastocladiomycetes
Blastocladiomycota
Phylum of flagellated fungi
Blastocladiomycota is one of the currently recognized phyla within the kingdom Fungi.[3] Blastocladiomycota was originally the order Blastocladiales within the phylum Chytridiomycota until molecular and zoospore ultrastructural characters were used to demonstrate it was not monophyletic with Chytridiomycota.[1] The order was first erected by Petersen for a single genus, Blastocladia, which was originally considered a member of the oomycetes.[4] Accordingly, members of Blastocladiomycota are often referred to colloquially as "chytrids." However, some feel "chytrid" should refer only to members of Chytridiomycota.[5] Thus, members of Blastocladiomycota are commonly called "blastoclads" by mycologists. Alternatively, members of Blastocladiomycota, Chytridiomycota, and Neocallimastigomycota lumped together as the zoosporic true fungi. Blastocladiomycota contains 5 families and approximately 12 genera.[6] This early diverging branch of kingdom Fungi is the first to exhibit alternation of generations.[7] As well, two (once) popular model organisms—Allomyces macrogynus and Blastocladiella emersonii—belong to this phylum.[5]