Write the general characteristics of Euglenoids.

(N/A) $\rightarrow$ Habitat: Majority of them are freshwater organisms found in stagnant water.
$\rightarrow$ Body organization: Instead of a cell wall,they have a protein-rich layer called pellicle,which makes their body flexible.
$\rightarrow$ Flagella: They have two flagella,one short and one long.
$\rightarrow$ Mode of nutrition: Nutrition is holophytic,saprobic,or holozoic. This mode of nutrition is called mixotrophic.
$\rightarrow$ Photosynthesis: Though they are photosynthetic in the presence of sunlight,when deprived of sunlight,they behave like heterotrophs by preying on other smaller organisms.
$\rightarrow$ Pigments: The pigments of euglenoids are identical to those present in higher plants,including chlorophyll '$a$' and '$b$'.
$\rightarrow$ Feeding: Prey such as bacteria and small flagellates are ingested through a cytostome,supported by microtubules.
$\rightarrow$ Reserve food: Reserve food is stored as carbohydrates in the form of paramylon or paramylum bodies.
$\rightarrow$ Reproduction: Euglenoids reproduce by longitudinal binary fission under favourable conditions.
$\rightarrow$ Unfavourable conditions: The palmella stage is found during unfavourable conditions.
$\rightarrow$ Examples: Euglena,Peranema,Eutreptia,Phacus,etc.