Galeripora bufonipellita, González-Miguéns & Soler-Zamora & Villar-Depablo & Todorov & Lara, 2022

González-Miguéns, Rubén, Soler-Zamora, Carmen, Villar-Depablo, Mar, Todorov, Milcho & Lara, Enrique, 2022, Multiple convergences in the evolutionary history of the testate amoeba family Arcellidae (Amoebozoa: Arcellinida: Sphaerothecina): when the ecology rules the morphology, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 194 (4), pp. 1044-1071 : 1063

GALERIPORA BUFONIPELLITA GONZÁLEZ- MIGUÉNS & LARA, SP. NOV.

( FIG. 4 )

Z o o b a n k r e g i s t r a t i o n: u r n: l s i d: z o o b a n k. org:act: 8262B0F0-8E1B-48E4-902D-DB867DC0D5BE.

Holotype: MA-Algae11254 .

Specific diagnosis: Test diameter: 89.05–92.95 µm, average 90.35 µm (N = 8); aperture 13.45–17.85 µm, average 14 µm (N = 4). Colour ranges from transparent to yellow-orange. General test shape is rounded and flattened.

The aboral side of the test has several ridges that elevate the test forming a dome and flap borders; the surface does not have pores and presents a granular pattern of regular shape. The oral side of the test is smooth, covered with an organic matrix that prevents the observation of test building units, with a central aperture. Pores are localized only around the aperture, following a circular pattern and curling slightly outwards to form a small ring or lip. The aperture is invaginated outwards forming a short ring or lip.

Intraspecific variability: The shape and number of ridges on the aboral side of the test can be variable. The number of pores around the aperture is variable. There may be certain deformations in the test that prevent it from having a perfectly circular morphology.

Diagnosis with closely related species: Galeripora bufonipellita can be diagnosed by its specific sequences of the mtDNA markers and by its phylogenetic placement. Differs morphologically from Galeripora arenaria closely related species by (1) morphometric differences (see Morphometrics and morphology; Fig. 2 ); (2) the absence of pores along the edge of the aboral side of the test; and (3) a regular and marked granulation in the top surface of the test.

Habitat: Mosses on the edge of a lake, partially (and temporally) submerged, growing on granitic rocks.

Type locality: Spain, Madrid, Rascafría (40°51’N 3°56’W) and (40º52’N 3º52’W) and San Lorenzo de El Escorial (40°34’N 4°09’W).

Etymology: The name is derived from the Latin bufo, toad and pellis, animal skin. We propose this name because of the ornamentation of the aboral side of the test, which is reminiscent of the warty skin of a toad.

Figures

Figure 2. A, scatterplot of the scores of linear discriminants with x-axis representing discriminant function 1 (LD1) and y-axis representing discriminant function 2 (LD2). Colours represent the different mitochondrial clades and symbols refer to the different sections after Deflandre (1928): squares are for Section 1 ‘Vulgares’, circles for Section 2 ‘Carinatae’ and triangles for Section 3 ‘Aplanatae’. The drawings represent the different morphotypes. B, the table represents the results of a linear discriminant analysis which determines the relationship between predicted and observed specimens cells for each mitochondrial clade.

Figure 4. Galeripora galeriformis, Galeripora bufonipellita, Galeripora sitiens and Galeripora balari: scanning electron micrographs of the aboral and oral sides of the test. The images on the right represent detail of the test and the structure of the aperture. On the left, a photograph of a typical habitat for each species, original drawing of the closest resembling species Galeripora arenaria (Greef, 1866), and original drawings of the synonymized species Arcella microstoma Penard, 1890 and Arcella aureola Maggi, 1888.