The Protostelid Genus Schizoplasmodiopsis

Check-list of microscopic protosteloid amoebae from the Southwest of Europe

“…Nomenclature used herein follows Olive (1975) and Lado (2011). Photomicrographs were taken with a Nikon Eclipse 80i compound microscope using bright field optics and a Nikon Digital Sight DS-5M digital camera head.…”

“…Samples were placed in separate paper bags, air dried and stored with the codes shown in Appendix 1 in the laboratory of the Real Jardín Botánico. More than 800 primary isolation culture plates were prepared using a modification of the technique described by Olive (1975) and Spiegel & al. (2004), see also , and Aguilar & al.…”

“…They have been observed from collections made throughout the world (Olive, 1975;, 2000cMoore & al., 2000;Spiegel & Stephenson, 2000;Shadwick & Stephenson, 2004;Spiegel & al., 2004;Tesmer & al., 2005;Powers & Stephenson, 2006;Kosheleva & al., 2009;Ndiritu & al., 2009). For a recent comparison of published biodiversity studies on a global scale we recommend consulting Table 2 in Ndiritu & al.…”

“…They probably have an important role in the regulation of the populations of bacteria present in soils and other microhabitats in terrestrial ecosystems (Feest, 1987;Spiegel & al. 2004), where they take part as predators feeding also upon other decomposers such as yeasts, and filamentous fungi (Olive, 1975;Whitney & Bennett, 1984). These organisms were traditionally classified as occupying a primitive position within the group of slime molds termed Eumycetozoa, that also includes the myxomycetes and the dictyostelids (Olive, 1975;Spiegel, 1986;Spiegel Lee & Rusk, 1995;Baldauf & Doolittle, 1997), but recent molecular data suggest that protosteloid amoebae are polyphyletic and they belong to different groups of Amoebozoa (Shadwick & al., 2009b;Fiore-Donno & al., 2010;Lahr & al., 2011;Adl & al., 2012), not necessarily directly related to other eumycetozoans.…”

“…Their major defining characteristic is that they form fruiting bodies or sporocarps. Sporocarps develop from a single amoeboid cell and, at maturity, are comprised of a single acellular stalk and one to a few spores (Olive, 1975;Spiegel, 1986Spiegel, , 1990Spiegel & al., 2004). They probably have an important role in the regulation of the populations of bacteria present in soils and other microhabitats in terrestrial ecosystems (Feest, 1987;Spiegel & al.…”