Euglena is a genus of unicellular protists, of the class Euglenoidea of the phylum Euglenozoa (also known as Euglenophyta). They are single-celled organisms. Currently, over 1,000 species of Euglena have been described. There are many to be discovered. Marin et al. (2003) revised the genus to include several species without chloroplasts, formerly classified as Astasia and Khawkinea. Some Euglena are considered to have both plant and animal features. Due to these dual characteristics, much debate has arisen to how they have evolved, and into which clade they should be placed. Euglena were originally placed in the kingdom Protista but now are classified above the kingdom Excavata, which contains both Kinetoplastids and Euglenids.

(From Wikipedia, September 13th, 2010)

– – –