''Linea'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of
foraminifera
Foraminifera (; Latin for "hole bearers"; informally called "forams") are single-celled organisms, members of a phylum or class of amoeboid protists characterized by streaming granular ectoplasm for catching food and other uses; and commonly ...
belonging to the subfamily
Rhabdammininae.
It is a
monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...
genus containing the sole species ''Linea simplex''.
Morphology
''Linea simplex'' has an overall string-like appearance, with a thin unbranching test in the shape of a flexible tube with a consistent diameter of around 80 μm. The tube is several centimeters long, irregularly filled by dark material, presumably stercomata.
It is morphologically similar to ''
Dendrophrya'' except it is unbranched. It also has similarities with ''
Bathysiphon'' but is smaller in diameter and has a much thinner wall section.
Taxonomy
The genus and species were described in 1989 by C. J. Schröder, F. S. Medioli and D. B. Scott. The origin of the genus name comes from the latin noun "linea", meaning string, due to the string-like appearance of the organism. The species
epithet comes from the latin adjective "simplex", meaning plain, simple.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q115152311, worms=556144
Monothalamea