| Fonticula | |
|---|---|
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| Macro photograph of an F. alba colony radius growing on a plate. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | |
| (unranked): | |
| (unranked): | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | Fonticulida
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| Family: | Fonticulaceae
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| Genus: | Fonticula Worley, Raper & Hohl 1979
|
| Type species | |
| Fonticula alba O’Kelly & Nerad 1999
| |
| Species | |
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Fonticula is a genus of cellular slime mold which forms a fruiting body in a volcano shape.[1] As long ago as 1979 it has been known to not have a close relationship with either the Dictyosteliida or the Acrasidae, the two well-established groups of cellular slime molds.[2] In 1979, Fonticula was made a new genus of its own due to the unique characteristics of its fruiting body, with only one species: Fonticula alba.[2]
The life cycle of Fonticula alba alternates between an amoeboid vegetative stage and aggregative fruiting stage. The fruiting body of the genus has a unique shape, as its sorocarp resembles a volcano and sorus looks like a ball of hot lava emerging from that volcano.
Molecular phylogenies have found alignments in genes of Fonticula alba to subgroups in Opisthokonta. A 2009 study has found that Fonticula is the sister taxa to Nuclearia, thus making it related to the kingdom Fungi.
Fonticula, Nuclearia, and Fungi have been united into the Holomycota, which is sister to the Holozoa.
- ^ Mary C. Deasey and Lindsay S. Olive (31 July 1981), "Role of Golgi Apparatus in Sorogenesis by the Cellular Slime Mold Fonticula alba", Science, 213 (4507): 561–563, Bibcode:1981Sci...213..561D, doi:10.1126/science.213.4507.561, PMID 17794844
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
Worleywas invoked but never defined (see the help page).