''Protostelium'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

protosteloid The protosteloid amoebae, or protosteloids (formerly known as protostelids), are a group of terrestrial amoebae capable of developing a tiny fruiting body or sporocarp consisting of a stalk supporting one or more spores. They do not form a natu ...

amoebozoa Amoebozoa is a major Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic group containing about 2,400 described species of Amoeba, amoeboid protists, often possessing blunt, fingerlike, Pseudopod#Morphology, lobose pseudopods and tubular mitochondrial cristae. In trad ...

ns, i.e., amoebae capable of forming simple fruiting bodies composed of a stalk and a ball of spores. It contains numerous species, including '' P. aurantium'', which was initially classified in a different genus ''Planoprotostelium''.

Phylogenetic analyses In biology, phylogenetics () is the study of the evolutionary history of life using observable characteristics of organisms (or genes), which is known as Computational phylogenetics, phylogenetic inference. It infers the relationship among organ ...

revealed that ''Planoprotostelium'' branches from within the genus ''Protostelium'', making them

synonyms A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...

. The genus is placed in the family Protosteliidae within the monotypic order Protosteliida, which is part of a larger group of

ns known as

Variosea Conosa is a grouping of Amoebozoa. It is subdivided into three groups: Archamoeba, Variosea and Mycetozoa. In some classifications, the mycetozoan Myxogastria and Dictyostelia are united in Macromycetozoa (= Eumycetozoa). Conosa includes t ...

Classification

Many species from the genus ''Protostelium'' have been transferred over time to other

genera. The following species remain: * ''

Protostelium apiculatum ''Protostelium'' is a genus of protosteloid amoebozoans, i.e., amoebae capable of forming simple fruiting bodies composed of a stalk and a ball of spores. It contains numerous species, including '' P. aurantium'', which was initially classified i ...

'' * ''

Protostelium aurantium ''Protostelium'' is a genus of protosteloid amoebozoans, i.e., amoebae capable of forming simple fruiting bodies composed of a stalk and a ball of spores. It contains numerous species, including '' P. aurantium'', which was initially classified ...

'' (=''Planoprotostelium aurantium'' ) * ''

Protostelium mycophaga ''Protostelium'' is a genus of protosteloid amoebozoans, i.e., amoebae capable of forming simple fruiting bodies composed of a stalk and a ball of spores. It contains numerous species, including '' P. aurantium'', which was initially classified ...

'' * ''

Protostelium nocturnum ''Protostelium'' is a genus of protosteloid amoebozoans, i.e., amoebae capable of forming simple fruiting bodies composed of a stalk and a ball of spores. It contains numerous species, including '' P. aurantium'', which was initially classified i ...

'' * ''

Protostelium okumukumu ''Protostelium okumukumu'' is a species of ''Protostelium'' found in Hawaii and New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South I ...

References

{{taxonbar, from1=Q605509, from2=Q21228893, from3=Q15104004, from4=Q21228898, from5=Q15104001, from6=Q15104015 Amoebozoa genera Taxa described in 1960