Dissipata

Dissipata is a term used in some phylogenetic and taxonomic discussions to denote a proposed clade within the eukaryotes, though its exact composition and status are uncertain. The name appears in a small number of speculative or theoretical works and is not accepted by mainstream systematic biology. Because there is no consensus on which lineages, if any, belong to Dissipata, major databases such as NCBI Taxonomy or the Catalogue of Life do not recognize it as a formal taxon.

In those discussions, authors have described Dissipata as a grouping that would unite certain protist lineages based on shared derived features or evolutionary scenarios; others have argued that the concept is methodological, not reflecting stable evolutionary relationships, and that reliance on the term can be misleading in describing protist diversity. The etymology of the name likely derives from Latin dissipare meaning to scatter, a reference to proposed dispersal or divergence of lineages, but there is no standard usage.

The practical impact of the term is limited: in formal databases and most scientific writing, Dissipata does not appear as an accepted rank-level clade; discussions about protist relationships typically focus on better-supported groups. Due to its fringe status, potential members and the rationale for its existence are variably described across sources, and the term is best understood as a speculative or historical label rather than an established taxon.