Phylogenetic reconstruction based on COI reshuffles the taxonomy of hyalosphenid shelled (testate) amoebae and reveals the convoluted evolution of shell plate shapes
Author
Anush Kosakyan
Author
Daniel J. G. Lahr
Author
Matthieu Mulot
Author
Ralf Meisterfeld
Author
Edward A. D. Mitchell
Author
Enrique Lara
text
Cladistics
2016
32
606
623
journal article
10.1111/cla.12167
b1b40acc-a139-4224-b746-a4229d457dbf
238712
Quadrulella
(Cockerell 1909)
sensu
Kosakyan, Lahr, Mulot, Meisterfeld, Mitchell and Lara
Updated description.
Test pyriform, or elongatedpyriform, with the lateral sides tapering towards the pseudostome, with or without distinct neck. Always laterally compressed, elliptical in cross section. Pseudostome ranging from linear to strongly curved, with or without thickened organic lip. Test hyaline, composed of self-secreted square plates.
Differential diagnosis.
Quadrulella
differs from
Nebela
and
Hyalosphenia
by the use of square, siliceous self-secreted plates in the construction of the test. It may be confused with
Mrabella
, which has similar test shape and square plates. The most distinctive characteristic is the presence of a lateral pronounced hollow keel in the genus
Mrabella
(although
Q. alata
also exhibits a lateral keel, we consider it to be flat and not hollow, even if this detail is not mentioned in the original description of the species), and the fact that square plates of
Quadrulella
are self-secreted, while the origin of square plates of
Mrabella
is unclear (see Discussion section above). For more detailed information on the differential diagnosis of genera in
Hyalospheniidae
see the synoptic key to hyalosphenid genera in Supplementary Material 1.
Type species.
Quadrulella symmetrica (Wallich 1864) Cockerell 1909
.
Included taxa.
Q. acuminata
,
Q. alata
,
Q. camerounensis
,
Q. elegans
,
Q. elongata
,
Q. quadrigera
,
Q. madibai
,
Q. scutellata
,
Q. tropica
,
Q. symmetrica
and
Q. variabilis
.