Summary Apicomplexans are a group of obligate intracellular parasites, but their retention of a relict non‐photosynthetic plastid reveals that they evolved from free‐living photosynthetic ancestors. The closest relatives of apicomplexans include photosynthetic chromerid algae (e.g., Chromera and Vitrella ), non‐photosynthetic colpodellid predators (e.g., Colpodella ) and several environmental clades collectively called Apicomp...