An obsolete taxonomic grouping that included organisms resembling coccidia, used in early classifications before modern genetics.
From 'coccidium' plus Greek 'morphe' (form), meaning 'organisms with coccidia-like form,' representing an old classification approach.
This word is a fossil of scientific history—scientists created it when they could only use what they saw under microscopes, grouping together organisms that looked similar even if they were completely unrelated.
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