The
chlorarachniophytes are a small group of
algae occasionally found in tropical oceans. They are typically
mixotrophic, ingesting
bacteria and smaller
protists as well as conducting
photosynthesis. Normally they have the form of small
amoebae, with branching cytoplasmic extensions that capture prey and connect the cells together, forming a net. They may also form
flagellate zoospores, which characteristically have a single subapical flagellum that spirals backwards around the cell body, and walled coccoid cells.