protomonad

protomonad, (order Kinetoplastida), any of an order of protozoan zooflagellates characterized as free-living or parasitic colourless organisms, typically with one or two flagella and usually without a secreted pellicle (or envelope). Solitary and colonial free-living forms usually feed by pseudopodia (protoplasmic extensions) or by a simple mouth; parasitic forms absorb food through the cell wall. Reproduction is by a lengthwise splitting, although multiple division and budding occur, and sexual reproduction has been reported. Protomonads, such...