Chytridiomycota
Overview
Chytridiomycota is a division of the Fungi kingdom
Kingdom (biology)
In biology, kingdom is a taxonomic rank, which is either the highest rank or in the more recent three-domain system, the rank below domain. Kingdoms are divided into smaller groups called phyla or divisions in botany...

. The name is derived from the Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...

 chytridion, meaning "little pot", describing the structure containing unreleased spore
Spore
In biology, a spore is a reproductive structure that is adapted for dispersal and surviving for extended periods of time in unfavorable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many bacteria, plants, algae, fungi and some protozoa. According to scientist Dr...

s. In older classifications
Biological classification
Biological classification, or scientific classification in biology, is a method to group and categorize organisms by biological type, such as genus or species. Biological classification is part of scientific taxonomy....

, chytrids (except the recently established order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...

 Spizellomycetales
Spizellomycetales
Spizellomycetales is an order of fungi that includes the following genera:*Spizellomyces D.J.S. Barr 1980*Triparticalcar D.J.S. Barr 1980*Gaertneriomyces D.J.S. Barr 1980*Powellomyces Longcore, D.J.S. Barr & Désauln. 1995...

) were placed in the Class Phycomycetes
Phycomycetes
Phycomycetes is an obsolete taxon for certain fungi with nonseptate hyphae.These fungi are currently classified under Zygomycota....

 under the subdivision Myxomycophyta of the Kingdom Fungi. Also, in an older and more restricted sense (not used here), the term "chytrids" referred just to those fungi in the order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...

 Chytridiales
Chytridiales
Fungi of the order Chytridiales, like other members of its phylum, may either have a monocentric thallus or a polycentric rhizomycelium. When the ribosomal genes of members classified in this order were first examined using molecular techniques, it was discovered that the order contained some...

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