Microscope Bus

Actinophrys Protists

Radial Pseudopods: Axopods

Actinophryid are part of the phylum Ochrophyta. Actinophrys, one of the "sun animalcules", is a genus of globular sarcodines (amoeboids) with radial pseudopods called axopods. The axopods, diverging from the spherical cell body in every direction, give Actinophrys a sun-like appearance, a common trait of the heliozoans. Actinophrys is very similar in appearance to Actinosphaerium, but is much smaller (~40 micrometers versus 200-1000 micrometers in Actinoisphaerium) and is much more common.

Members of the genus Actinophrys are heterotrophic, but are not active hunters. Instead, they wait for prey to get suck in their axopods, then engulf them into food vacuoles through a process called phagocytosis.

Actinophrys