| Chromalveolates | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Clockwise from top-left: a haptophyte, some diatoms, an oomycete, a cryptomonad, and Macrocystis, a phaeophyte | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | |
| (unranked): | |
| Kingdom: | Chromalveolata Cavalier-Smith 1998 |
| Phyla | |
Chromalveolata is a eukaryote supergroup first proposed by Thomas Cavalier-Smith as a refinement of his kingdom Chromista, which was first proposed in 1981.
The origin of the Chromalveolata was thought to be a secondary endosymbiosis between a bikont (cell with two flagella) and a red alga. This union led to plastids containing chlorophyll c. In Cavalier-Smith's classification, the Chromalveolata was one of the six major groups within the eukaryotes.
The classification has been challenged.
