| Myxosporea | |
|---|---|
| |
| Kudoa septempunctata - spores | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Subphylum: | Myxozoa |
| Class: | Myxosporea Buetchli 1881 |
| Orders | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Myxosporea is a class of microscopic animals, all of whom are parasites. They belong to the Myxozoa clade within Cnidaria. They have a complex life cycle that comprises vegetative forms in two hosts—one an aquatic invertebrate (generally an annelid but sometimes a bryozoan) and the other an ectothermic vertebrate, usually a fish. Each parasitized host releases a different type of spore. The two forms of spore are so different that until relatively recently they were treated as belonging to different classes within the Myxozoa.