Monothalamea | |
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Image of a deep sea xenophyophore | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Clade: | Diaphoretickes |
Clade: | SAR |
Phylum: | Retaria |
Subphylum: | Foraminifera |
Class: | Monothalamea Haeckel, 1862,[1] emend. Pawlowski et al., 2013[2] |
Orders and subtaxa incertae sedis[3] | |
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"Monothalamea" is a grouping of foraminiferans, traditionally consisting of all foraminifera with single-chambered tests. Recent work has shown that the grouping is paraphyletic, and as such does not constitute a natural group; nonetheless, the name "monothalamea" continues to be used by foraminifera workers out of convenience.[4]
"Monothalamea" traditionally contains two groups, neither of which is currently considered to be monophyletic:
Recent molecular evidence has revealed that the deep-sea xenophyophores are in fact agglutinated, single-chambered foraminifera.[5] Molecular evidence has also revealed that the freshwater protist Reticulomyxa is in fact a naked, testless foraminifera, and as such it has been included with "monothalameans" in scientific discussion.[4][6]
A 2013 molecular study using small subunit rDNA concluded that known "monothalameans" made up at least 22 distinct living clades from marine environments with an additional four clades from freshwater eDNA.[4]