Linea

This article is about the genus of foraminifera. For the article about long markings on a planet's surface, see Lineae.

Linea is a genus of foraminifera belonging to the subfamily Rhabdammininae.^[2] It is a monotypic genus containing the sole species Linea simplex.^[1]

Linea
Illustration of Linea simplex
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Clade:	Diaphoretickes
Clade:	SAR
Phylum:	Retaria
Subphylum:	Foraminifera
Class:	Monothalamea
Order:	Astrorhizida
Superfamily:	Astrorhizoidea
Family:	Rhabdamminidae
Subfamily:	Rhabdammininae
Genus:	Linea Schröder, Medioli & Scott, 1989
Species:	L. simplex
Binomial name
Linea simplex Schröder, Medioli & Scott, 1989[1]

Morphology

Linea simplex has an overall string-like appearance, with a thin unbranching test in the shape of a flexible tube with a consistent diameter of around 80 μm. The tube is several centimeters long, irregularly filled by dark material, presumably stercomata.^[1]

It is morphologically similar to Dendrophrya except it is unbranched. It also has similarities with Bathysiphon but is smaller in diameter and has a much thinner wall section.^[1]

Taxonomy

The genus and species were both described in 1989 by paleontologists C. J. Schröder, F. S. Medioli and D. B. Scott. The genus name comes from the Latin noun linea meaning string, due to the string-like appearance of the organism. The species epithet comes from the Latin adjective simplex meaning plain, simple.^[1]

References

1. Schröder CJ, Medioli FS, Scott DB (1989). "Fragile Abyssal Foraminifera (Including New Komokiacea) from the Nares Abyssal Plain". Micropaleontology. 35 (1). The Micropaleontology Project., Inc.: 10–48. doi:10.2307/1485535. JSTOR 1485535.
2. Kaminski MA (2014). "The year 2010 classification of the agglutinated foraminifera". Micropaleontology. 60 (1). The Micropaleontology Project., Inc.: 89–108. doi:10.47894/mpal.60.1.09. JSTOR 24413648. S2CID 54780113.