Question

The protozoan with heliopodia as locomotory structure is
(a) Actinophrys
(b) Entamoeba
(c) Elphidium
(d) Euglypha

Answer 1

Hint: They are an order of heliozoan and are the most common in freshwater and can also be found in marine and soil habitats. They are unicellular and roughly spherical in shape.

Complete answer:
The movement of organisms from one place to another place is known as locomotion. Locomotory organelles found in protozoa are mainly of five types and they are Pseudopodia Locomotion, Flagellar Locomotion, Ciliary Locomotion, Wriggling Locomotion, and Locomotion by Mucilage Propulsion. Pseudopodial Locomotion has four types and they are lobopodia, filopodia, Axopdia, and reticulopodia. Actinophrys have many axopodia (heliopodia) that radiate out from the cell body similar to the beam of light coming out of the sun and thus are known as Heliozoa or sun animalcule. They have a rigid rod that is coated in a layer of ectoplasm and is rooted in the endoplasm. Axopodia are supported by many microtubules arranged in a long, thin, and needle-like internal structure and are a type of pseudopodia. They help in capturing prey, assist with cell movement, and even play a part in cell division and cell fusion. Elphidium uses reticulopodia for moving and has a slow creeping motion. Euglypha uses filopodia that are fine, thread-like tapering for moving.
So, the correct answer is ‘Actinophrys’.

Note: Protozoa is a group of microscopic unicellular eukaryotes that are free-living or parasitic and feed on organic matter like microorganisms or tissues and debris. They range in size from 1 to 200,000 micrometers. They can live with symbiotic photosynthetic algae for their nutrients requirements. Higher animals are infected with one or more species of Protozoa.