A brief history of testate amoebae research and introducing the International Society for Testate Amoeba Research (ISTAR)

Research on testate amoebae goes back to the early 19th century, more precisely the year 1815 when Leclerc (or Le Clerc) described the genus Difflugia , which he presented as a “new type of amorphous polyp” (Leclerc, 1815). Since then the pace of publication was uneven but some very significant early works such as the seminal works of Leidy, Penard, and Cash, Hopkinson and Wailes paved the way to future research (Penard, 1890, Penard, 1902, Penard, 1911, Leidy, 1879, Cash et al., 1905-1921). These early studies focused on describing the diversity of testate amoebae but also included discussions (or speculations) about their geographical distribution and ecology. The lives and scientific careers of Leidy and Penard were nicely described by Corliss who had the privilege of meeting Penard towards the end of his long life (Corliss, 2001).