Position in a system
| system | Vitae - living organisms |
| domain | Eukaryota Whittaker & Margulis, 1978 - lifeforms with nucletic cells |
| superregnum | Bikonta - bikonts |
| Cabozoa | |
| kingdom | Excavata Cavalier-Smith, 2002 |
| superphylum | Discicristata Cavalier-Smith, 1993 |
| phylum | Euglenozoa Cavalier-Smith, 1981 |
| subphylum | Plicostoma Patterson, 1988 ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 |
| class | Euglenoidea Bütschli, 1884 - euglenoids |
| order | Euglenida Bütschli, 1884 |
| suborder | Heteronematina Leedale, 1967 |
| family | Heteronemataceae |
| genus | Heteronema Dujardin, 1841 |
| species | Heteronema acus (Ehrenb.) Stein |