Pseudopodia - Morphology

Morphology

Pseudopods can be classified into several varieties according to their appearance:

• Lobopodia are bulbous, short and blunt in form. They are very typical of Amoebozoa. These finger-like, tubular pseudopodia contain both ectoplasm and endoplasm.
• Filopodia are more slender and filiform with pointed ends, consisting mainly of ectoplasm. These formations are supported by microfilaments. This is observed in Euglypha and Lecithium.
• Reticulopodia, also known as reticulose pseudopods, are complex formations where individual pseudopods are blended together and form irregular nets. The primary function of reticulopodia, also known as myxopodia, is the ingestion of food, and the secondary function is locomotion. Reticulopods are typical of Foraminifera.
• Axopodia (also known as actinopodia) are thin pseudopods containing complex arrays of microtubules and are enveloped by cytoplasm. Axopodia are mostly responsible for phagocytosis by rapidly retracting in response to physical contacts. They are observed in radiolaria and heliozoa. This supposedly takes a strain on the helix, for after the sensory action has occurred, it then later on dies. Principally, these pseudopodia are food collecting structures.