''Alabasta'' () is a genus of arcellinid

testate amoebae Testate amoebae (formerly thecamoebians, Testacea or Thecamoeba) are a polyphyletic group of unicellular amoeboid protists, which differ from naked amoebae in the presence of a test that partially encloses the cell, with an aperture from which the ...

belonging to the family

Hyalospheniidae Hyalospheniidae is a group of testate amoebae and the sole family of the infraorder Hyalospheniformes. Hyalospheniid testate amoebae are considered important bioindicators, which is why they are frequently used for environmental monitoring and the ...

. It contains species with an elongated

test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...

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 ''Nebela'' is a diverse genus of testate amoebae of cosmopolitan distribution, belonging to the family Hyalospheniidae. They are "prey agglutinated" or "kleptosquamic" organisms, meaning they take the inorganic plates from their prey to construct ...

'', but were later found to be a distinct

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gro ...

group different from ''Nebela''. It is the sister group to ''

Planocarina ''Planocarina'' () is a genus of arcellinid testate amoebae belonging to the family Hyalospheniidae. It was created in 2016 to agglutinate a clade of species that were previously assigned to the paraphyletic genus ''Nebela''. All species of '' ...

''.

Morphology

Members of ''Alabasta'' have a rigid, elongated

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

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, respo ...

aceous, often incorporating

silica Silicon dioxide, also known as silica, is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula , most commonly found in nature as quartz and in various living organisms. In many parts of the world, silica is the major constituent of sand. Silica is one ...

scales taken from

euglyphid The euglyphids are a prominent group of filose amoebae that produce shells or tests from siliceous scales, plates, and sometimes spines. These elements are created within the cell and then assembled on its surface in a more or less regular arra ...

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).

Taxonomy

''Alabasta'' 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 ''The European Journal of Protistology'' is a medical journal that covers the entire scope of protistology, from their development and ecology to molecular biology. The journal is published by Elsevier. It is official journal of the Federation of E ...

''.

Etymology

The 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 desertic city described in the manga

One Piece ''One Piece'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. It has been serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' since July 1997, with its individual chapte ...

, which is reminiscent of the ecological preferences of ''

Alabasta militaris ''Alabasta'' () is a genus of arcellinid testate amoebae belonging to the family Hyalospheniidae. 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 s ...

'', used in the monitoring of

peatland A mire, peatland, or quagmire is a wetland area dominated by living peat-forming plants. Mires arise because of incomplete decomposition of organic matter, usually litter from vegetation, due to water-logging and subsequent anoxia. All types ...

s as an indicator of dryness.

Classification

There are 3 species of ''Alabasta'': *''

Alabasta kivuense ''Alabasta'' () is a genus of arcellinid testate amoebae belonging to the family Hyalospheniidae. 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 s ...

'' (=''Nebela kivuense'' ) *''

Alabasta longicollis ''Alabasta'' () is a genus of arcellinid testate amoebae belonging to the family Hyalospheniidae. 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 s ...

'' (=''Nebela longicollis'' ) *''

'' (=''Nebela militaris'' ; =''N. bursella'' ; =''Nebela americana'' var. ''bryophila'' )

References

Tubulinea Amoebozoa genera {{Amoebozoa-stub