Labyrinthula

The genus Labyrinthula, also known as net slime molds, is part of the protist group Labyrinthulomycetes and contains thirteen species. The major feature of this genus is the formation of an ectoplasmic net secreted by specialized organelles called bothrosomes which surrounds the colony, which is also used by Labyrinthula for moving. The protist reproduces by zoosporulation as it sets some flagellated spores free from a sporangium. One of the flagella of the zoospores has stiff tripartite hairs (mastigonemes) - the defining characteristic of the stramenopiles.

The interest in Labyrinthula arose as it has been identified as the cause of the "wasting disease", which led to the death of more than 90% of the seagrass population of the North Atlantic coast in the early 1930s.^[1]