Galeripora succelli González-Miguéns & Lara, 2021

Diagnosis: Colour ranges from transparent to yellow-orange. Sub hemispherical test shape, with flattened edges and dimples in the surface that gives the test a golf-ball shape. The aboral side presents no ribs or keels. Building units are covered with an organic matrix that prevents observation of the building units, giving a smooth outlook to the test. The oral side is also flat and smooth, covered with an organic matrix that prevents observation of the test building units, with a central aperture. The only pores at the base of the test are localized around the aperture, following a circular pattern and curling slightly outwards to form a small ring or lip.

Dimensions: According to González-Miguéns et al. (2021): Shell diameter 180—200 μm; aperture 24—34 μm.

Habitat: Freshwater. Wet Sphagnum moss, in a bog.

Distribution.Type locality France, Frasne, La Tourbière (46°49’N 6°9’E).

Intraspecific variability. The number of pores surrounding the aperture can be variable. There may be certain deformations in the test that prevent it from having a perfectly circular morphology.

Diagnosis with closely related species. Galeripora succelli can be diagnosed by its specific sequences of the mtDNA markers and by its phylogenetic placement. Galeripora succelli differs from Arcella guadarramensis by (1) its morphometric differences and it is larger than A. guadarramensis; (2) a regular and marked granulation on the top of the test; and (3) the absence of pores along the edge of the arboral side of the test.

References: González-Miguéns, R., Soler-Zamora, C., Villar-Depablo, M., Todorov, M., Lara, E., 2021. Multiple convergences in the evolutionary history of the testate amoeba family Arcellidae (Amoebozoa: Arcellinida: Sphaerothecina): when the ecology rules the morphology. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society zlab074. https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab074