myzocytosis

{{short description|Method of feeding in some heterotrophic organisms}}

{{More citations needed|date=September 2014}}Myzocytosis (from Greek: myzein, ({{lang|grc|μυζεῖν}}) meaning "to suck" and kytos ({{lang|grc|κύτος}}) meaning "container", hence referring to "cell") is a method of feeding found in some heterotrophic organisms. It is also called "cellular vampirism" as the predatory cell pierces the cell wall and/or cell membrane of the prey cell with a feeding tube, the conoid, sucks out the cellular content and digests it.

Myzocytosis is found in Myzozoa{{Cite journal | url=https://www.infona.pl/resource/bwmeta1.element.elsevier-5d35e684-a832-3187-bc57-5f3d2ba06a04 |doi = 10.1016/j.ejop.2004.01.002|title = Protalveolate phylogeny and systematics and the origins of Sporozoa and dinoflagellates (Phylum Myzozoa nom. Nov.)|year = 2004|last1 = Cavalier-Smith|first1 = T.|last2 = Chao|first2 = E.E.|journal = European Journal of Protistology|volume = 40|issue = 3|pages = 185–212|url-access = subscription}} and also in some species of Ciliophora (both comprise the alveolates). A classic example of myzocytosis is the feeding method of the infamous predatory ciliate, Didinium, where it is often depicted devouring a hapless Paramecium.{{cite AV media | title =Didinium eats Paramecium | url =https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arLutw0b-AY | access-date =21 May 2020 }} The suctorian ciliates were originally thought to have fed exclusively through myzocytosis, sucking out the cytoplasm of prey via superficially drinking straw-like pseudopodia. It is now understood that suctorians do not feed through myzocytosis, but actually, instead, manipulate and envenomate captured prey with their tentacle-like pseudopodia.{{Cite journal| last1 = Rudzinska | first1 = M. A.| title = Do Suctoria Really Feed by Suction?| jstor = 1296568| journal = BioScience| volume = 23| issue = 2| pages = 87–94| year = 1973| doi = 10.2307/1296568}}