|Eukaryotic||a and c2||Phycocyanin or
Phycoerythrin||4||0-2||starch and lipids||proteinaceous
periplast||2 equal| |Public Domain||NOAA||Wikimedia Commons,
Daniel Vaulot| Cryptophytes, or cryptomonads, are single-celled
algae that have two flagella, used for swimming. The
cryptophytes are single-celled flagellates and have pigments
found in no other group of algae (phycoerythrin and
phycocyanin). Pigments are structures that absorb light and
include the pigment, chlorophyll. The name “crypto” means
secret, or hidden, and these algae can be secretive in their
life habits. Cryptophytes are an interesting group of organisms
because they are able to obtain energy from the sun through
photosynthesis, as well as obtain energy by eating particulate
food. Therefore, these algae are both photosynthetic and
heterotrophic. There are many different species found across the
world, including moist areas on soils, ice-covered lakes,
tropical oceans, in blooms on beaches, and as intestinal
parasites in animals. There is still