Haptophyte
The
haptophytes, classed either as the Prymnesiophyta or Haptophyta,
are a group of
algae. The
chloroplasts
are pigmented similarly to those of the heterokonts, such as golden algae, but
the structure of the rest of the cell is different, so it may be that they are
a separate line whose chloroplasts are derived from similar endosymbionts. The
cells typically have two slightly unequal
flagella,
both of which are smooth, and a unique organelle called a
haptonema,
which is superficially similar to a flagellum but differs in the arrangement
of
microtubules
and in behavior. The most important group of haptophytes are the
coccolithophores.