Alabasta (from Greek αλάβαστρος (alábastros) 'alabaster') is a genus of arcellinid testate amoebae belonging to the family Hyalospheniidae.[2] It contains species with an elongated test and a strongly curved "pseudostome" (the test opening) with a flare and a notch in narrow view. These species previously belonged to the genus Nebela, but were later found to be a distinct monophyletic group different from Nebela. It is the sister group to Planocarina.[1]
| Alabasta | |
|---|---|
| |
| A. militaris | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Phylum: | Amoebozoa |
| Class: | Tubulinea |
| Order: | Arcellinida |
| Family: | Hyalospheniidae |
| Genus: | Alabasta Duckert, Blandenier, Kosakyan & Singer 2018[1] |
| Type species | |
| Alabasta militaris (Penard 1890) Duckert, Blandenier, Kosakyan & Singer 2018
| |
| Species | |
Morphology
editMembers of Alabasta have a rigid, elongated test that is colourless or yellowish, with a maximum width at about two thirds of the distance from the test's aperture and sides, then thinner towards the aperture. The test is proteinaceous, often incorporating silica scales taken from euglyphid preys. The pseudostome (i.e. aperture) is strongly convex with a flare (i.e. fan shape) in broad view and a deep notch in profile view. Lateral pores are usually present at about one third of the distance from the pseudostome to the fundus (i.e. the bottom of the test, opposite to the aperture).[1]
Taxonomy
editAlabasta was described in 2018 by Clément Duckert, Quentin Blandenier, Anush Kosakyan and David Singer. The description of the genus was published in the European Journal of Protistology.[1]
Etymology
editThe genus was named after the greek word αλάβαστρος (alábastros), as a reference to the diaphanous and yellowish appearance of the test. It is also related to Alabasta, a fictitious desert island described in the manga One Piece, which is reminiscent of the ecological preferences of Alabasta militaris, used in the monitoring of peatlands as an indicator of dryness.[1]
Classification
editThere are 3 species of Alabasta:[1]
- Alabasta kivuense (Gauthier-Lievre & Thomas 1961) Duckert, Blandenier, Kosakyan & Singer 2018 (=Nebela kivuense Gauthier-Lievre & Thomas 1961[3])
- Alabasta longicollis (Penard 1890) Duckert, Blandenier, Kosakyan & Singer 2018 (=Nebela longicollis Penard 1890)
- Alabasta militaris (Penard 1890) Duckert, Blandenier, Kosakyan & Singer 2018 (=Nebela militaris Penard 1890;[4] =N. bursella Taranek 1881; =Nebela americana var. bryophila Van Oye 1933)
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Duckert C, Blandenier Q, Kupferschmid FAL, Kosakyan A, Mitchell EAD, Lara E, et al. (2018). "En garde! Redefinition of Nebela militaris (Arcellinida, Hyalospheniidae) and erection of Alabasta gen. nov" (PDF). Eur J Protistol. 66: 156–165. doi:10.1016/j.ejop.2018.08.005. PMID 30366198. S2CID 53116247.
- ^ González-Miguéns, Rubén; Todorov, Milcho; Blandenier, Quentin; Duckert, Clément; Porfirio-Sousa, Alfredo L.; Ribeiro, Giulia M.; Ramos, Diana; Lahr, Daniel J.G.; Buckley, David; Lara, Enrique (2022). "Deconstructing Difflugia: The tangled evolution of lobose testate amoebae shells (Amoebozoa: Arcellinida) illustrates the importance of convergent evolution in protist phylogeny". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 175 (107557): 107557. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107557. hdl:10261/281619. ISSN 1055-7903. PMID 35777650.
- ^ Nicholls KH (2015). "Nebela kivuense Gauthier-Lievre et Thomas, 1961 (Amoebozoa, Arcellinida), Missing for a Half-century; Found 11,500 km from "home"". Acta Protozoologica. 54 (4): 283–288. doi:10.4467/16890027AP.15.023.3537. ISSN 0065-1583.
- ^ Duckert C, Blandenier Q, Kupferschmid FAL, Kosakyan A, Mitchell EAD, Lara E, Singer D (30 April 2020). "Case 3782 – Nebela militaris Penard, 1890 (Arcellinida, Hyalospheniidae): proposed conservation of the specific name by giving it precedence over Nebela bursella Taranek, 1881". The Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature. 77 (1): 22–28. doi:10.21805/bzn.v77.a007. hdl:11380/1301647. S2CID 218783898.
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