Myxosporea

Myxosporea
Kudoa septempunctata - spores
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Cnidaria
Subphylum:	Myxozoa
Class:	Myxosporea Buetchli 1881
Orders
Bivalvulida Multivalvulida
Synonyms
Actinomyxea Actinosporea

Myxosporea is a class of microscopic animals, all of whom are parasites. They belong to the Myxozoa clade within Cnidaria. They have a complex life cycle that comprises vegetative forms in two hosts—one an aquatic invertebrate (generally an annelid but sometimes a bryozoan) and the other an ectothermic vertebrate, usually a fish. Each parasitized host releases a different type of spore. The two forms of spore are so different in appearance that until relatively recently they were treated as belonging to different classes within the Myxozoa.