Protostelium

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.^[6] It contains numerous species, including P. aurantium, which was initially classified in a different genus Planoprotostelium. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that Planoprotostelium branches from within the genus Protostelium, making them synonyms.^[4]

Protostelium
Protostelium mycophaga sporocarps
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Phylum:	Amoebozoa
Class:	Variosea
Order:	Protosteliida Olive & Stoianovitch 1966, emend. Shadwick & Spiegel in Adl et al. 2012[1]
Family:	Protosteliidae Olive & Stoianovitch 1966[2]
Genus:	Protostelium Olive & Stoianovitch 1960[3] emend. Spiegel et al. 2017[4]
Type species
Protostelium mycophaga Olive & Stoianovitch 1960
Synonyms
Planoprotostelium Olive & Stoianovitch 1971[5]

The genus is placed in the family Protosteliidae within the monotypic order Protosteliida, which is part of a larger group of amoebozoans known as Variosea.^[1][7]

Classification

Many species from the genus Protostelium have been transferred over time to other protosteloid genera. The following species remain:^[4]

• Protostelium apiculatum Shadwick & Spiegel 2017
• Protostelium aurantium (Olive & Stoianovitch 1971) Shadwick & Spiegel 2017 (=Planoprotostelium aurantium Olive & Stoianovitch 1971)
• Protostelium mycophaga Olive & Stoianovitch 1960
• Protostelium nocturnum Spiegel 1984
• Protostelium okumukumu Spiegel, Shadwick & Hemmes 2006