| Acrasid Slime Molds | |
|---|---|
| Acrasis rosea, amoebe and spores | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Excavata |
| Superphylum: | Discicristata |
| Phylum: | Percolozoa Cavalier-Smith 1991 |
| Class: | Heterolobosea Page & Blanton 1985 |
| Order: | Acrasida |
| Family: | Acrasidae |
Acrasidae is a family[1] of slime molds which belongs to the protist group Percolozoa. The name acrasio- comes from the Greek Akrasia, meaning "acting against one's judgement." This group consists of cellular slime molds.
Some would also consider it as a kingdom unto itself, but the debate is as of yet unsettled.
The term "Acrasiomycota" has been used when the group was believed to be a fungus ("-mycota").
When resources such as water or food become limiting, the amoeba will release pheromones such as acrasin to aggregate amoebal cells in preparation for movement as a large (thousands of cells) grex or pseudopod. When in the grex, the amoeboids reproduce sexually, resulting in fruit-like structures called spores, which develop into unicellular molds of the same species.
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