3. Characteristics
• Hyphochytridiomycetes are aquatic,
freshwater or marine chytrid-like fungi
• Motile cells are anteriorly uniflagellate,
• Tinsel type flagellum
• Parasitic on algae, saprobic on plant
and insect debris in the waters in which
they live.
• The walls of all species contain chitin.
• Cellulose is present in some
4. Continue…
• The thallus wich may
holocarpic or eurocarpic
- in holocarpic species the
thallus is endobiotic and is
converted into zoosporangium
- in eucarpic form the thallus
may consist of
a single reproductive organ
bearing a branched rhizoidal
system, or may be polycentric
and consist of branched
hyphae with some septa.
holocarpic
eucarpic
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• The zoosporangia are inoperculate and
release their zoospores through
discharge tubes.
• The zoospora germinate and reproduce
the thallus.
• Sexual reproduction is known only in the
genus Reesia, whose systematic position
is still uncertain and whose morphology
requires reinvestigation.
6. Rhizidiomyces
• The thallus is monocentric, consisting of a
single cell that bears a system branched
rhizoids sunken into substratum.
• Sexual reproduction has not been observed
• Example Rhizidiomyces apophysatus
7. Life Cycle of
Rhizidiomyce
s apophysatus
• Parasitic on the
oogonis of water
molds of family
Saprolegniaceae or
on the green alga
Vaucheria. But, it
also Isolated from
soil and pine pollen.
•Zoospore bears a
tinsel flagellum
