Clathrella foreli, with nucleus visible, Crailoo, Netherlands, 2024
Clathrella foreli Penard, 1903
Diagnosis: Cell spherical, surrounded by numerous hyaline, colorless, bowl‑shaped scales that are loosely attached to one another. Filopodia emerge through the gaps between the scales. Pseudopodia are branching and, when attached to the substrate, may also anastomose. One vesicular nucleus.
Dimensions: Penard: 40–55 µm (adult amoebae). Hoogenraad & De Groot (1940): 40–50 µm. My measurements: 25–86 µm, mean 35 µm (body only, without scales). Scales 9.8–16 µm in diameter; nucleus 8.2–16 µm.
Ecology: Oligotrophic and mesotrophic freshwater habitats. Recorded from Europe, North and South America, Japan, China, and India.
Remarks: For additional information, see my paper in Mikrokosmos (Siemensma, 2014)
Clathrella foreli, Crailoo, Netherlands, 2024
Clathrella foreli, Crailoo, Netherlands, 2024
Surface structure (Spiegelplas, Netherlands, 2023)
Two specimens from Crailoo, a mesotrophic freshwater pond
Clathrella foreli, n=nucleus, plasmabody 30 µm, scales about 14 µm – Peru, rainforest lagoon.
Clathrella foreli, 31 µm, nucleus clearly visible.
Specimen showing the polygonal structure of the scales and the branching and anastomosing filopodia.
The arrow points to a gap between the scales through which pseudopodia pass.
Specimen with many branching pseudopodia
Clathrella foreli, 30 µm – Peru, feeding on diatoms
Empty shell
Clathrella foreli, dried shell, from Naardermeer and Peru
Clathrella foreli, 32 µm, Naardermeer
Clathrella foreli, Naardermeer and Crailoo
Clathrella foreli, body 40 and 32 µm, Montana USA
Clathrella foreli,sediment in a lake at the Great Alvar, Öland, Sweden, 2026