FAQ
Jagiellonian University logo

Nebela kivuense Gauthier-Lièvre et Thomas, 1961 (Amoebozoa, Arcellinida), Missing for a Half-century; Found 11,500 km from “home”

Publication date: 21.10.2015

Acta Protozoologica, 2015, Volume 54, Issue 4, pp. 283 - 288

https://doi.org/10.4467/16890027AP.15.023.3537

Authors

Kenneth H. Nicholls
All publications →

Titles

Nebela kivuense Gauthier-Lièvre et Thomas, 1961 (Amoebozoa, Arcellinida), Missing for a Half-century; Found 11,500 km from “home”

Abstract

In 1961, the testate amoeba Nebela kivuense Gauthier-Lièvre et Thomas, 1961 was described for the first and only time from an area near Lake Edward in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (at 0.002° N Latitude). The lack of recent reports of this species, despite exhaustive surveys of the testate amoebae fauna of the major continents of the world, suggested that N. kivuense was a rare species perhaps endemic to a small, local equatorial region of the African continent. This paper reports its rediscovery from two wetland-conifer forest ecosystems in southern Ontario, Canada (at 44° N Latitude), thus changing dramatically our previous perception of its very restricted global distribution. This has implications for the idea held by many students of biogeography that there is a special category of microscopic protists that contains truly rare species and their rarity, perhaps together with specific habitat requirements and tolerances, limits opportunities for dispersal around the world. The N. kivuense story is a clear example of the dangers of inferring endemism from rarity.

References

Download references

Bonnet L. (1979) Nouveaux thécamoebiens du sol. Bull. Soc. d’Hist. Nat. de Toulouse 115: 106–118

CoHort Software (1995) CoStat. Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55419, U.S.A.

Fenchel T., Findlay B. (2004) The ubiquity of small species: patterns of local and global diversity. Bioscience 54: 777–784

Foissner W. (2007) Dispersal and biogeography of protists: recent advances. Jpn. J. Protozool40: 1–16

Gauthier-Lièvre L., Thomas R. (1961) Troisième note sur les Nebelinae d’Afrique. Bull. Soc. d’Hist. Natur. d’Afrique du Nord. 52: 41–48

Godeanu S. (1972) Lista testaceelor din Romania. Studii si Comunicari 5: 37–48

Golemansky V. (1962) Faune muscicole de Guinéé forestière (rhizopodes testacés). Recherches Africaines, Études guinéennes (Nouvelle Série) 4: 33–60

Kosakyan A., Heger T. J., Leander B. S., Todorov M., Mitchell A. D., Lara E. (2012) COI barcoding of nebelid testate amoebae (Amoebozoa: Arcellinida): extensive cryptic diversity and redefinition of the Hyalospheniidae Schultz. Protist 163: 415–434

Kosakyan A., Gomaa F., Mitchell E.A.D., Heger T.J., Lara E. (2013) Using DNA-barcoding for sorting out protist species complexes: A case study of the Nebela tincta-collaris-bohemica group (Amoebozoa; Arcellinida, Hyalospheniidae). Europ. J. Protistol49: 222–237

Leidy J. (1879) Fresh-Water rhizopods of North America. United States Geological and Geographical Survey of the Territories. Vol. 12. Washington Government Printing Office

Meisterfeld R. (2002, but dated 2000 in error) Testate amoebae with filopodia. In: An Illustrated Guide to the Protozoa, Second Edition, Volume II, (Eds. J. J. Lee, G. F. Leedale, P. Bradbury). Society of Protozoologists, Lawrence, Kansas, 1054–1084

Mitchell E. A. D. (2003) The identification of Nebela and similar species with indications on their ecology and distribution. [http://istar.wikidot.com/id-keys/Nebela]

Mitchell E. A. D., Meisterfeld R. (2005) Taxonomic confusion blurs the debate on cosmopolitanism versus local endemism of free-living protists. Protist 156: 263–267

Nicholls K. H. (2007) Descriptions of two new marine species of the sand-dwelling testacean genus CorythionellaC. gwaii sp. n. and C. rachelcarsoni sp. n., and a revised description of C. acolla Gol. (Rhizopoda: Filosea, or Rhizaria: Cercozoa). Acta Protozool46: 269–278

Penard E. (1902) Faune rhizopodique du bassin du Léman. Libraire de L’Institut, Genève 714 p

Singer D., Kosakyan A., Pillonel A., Mitchell E. A. D., Lara E. (2015) Eight species in the Nebela collaris complex: Nebela gimlii (Arcellinida, Hyalospheniidae), a new species described from a Swiss raised bog. Europ. J. Protistol51: 79–85

Wilkinson D. M. (2001) What is the upper size limit for cosmopolitan distribution in free-living microorganisms? J. Biogeogr28: 285–291

Yang J., Smith H. G., Sherratt T. N., Wilkinson D. M. (2010) Is there a size limit for cosmopolitan distribution in free-living microorganisms? A biogeographical analysis of testate amoebae from polar areas. Microb. Ecol59: 635–645

Information

Information: Acta Protozoologica, 2015, Volume 54, Issue 4, pp. 283 - 288

Article type: Original article

Published at: 21.10.2015

Article status: Open

Licence: None

Percentage share of authors:

Kenneth H. Nicholls (Author) - 100%

Article corrections:

-

Publication languages:

English