[2] Testate amoebae can be found in most freshwater environments, including lakes, rivers, cenotes,[3] as well as mires and soils.
These characteristics, along with the sensitivity that some species display to changes in environmental conditions (such as temperature, pH, and conductivity), has sparked their use as bioindicators and paleoclimate proxies in recent years.
The following table includes a few examples of testate amoebae genera, and reflects their position within the classification by Adl et al. (2012),[7] where five supergroups (Amoebozoa, Opisthokonta, Excavata, SAR and Archaeplastida) were proposed to classify all eukaryotes.
This classification purposefully avoids the use of Linnaean higher category names (phylum, class, order, family).
[7] Plagiopyxis - Quadrulella - Trigonopyxis Traditionally, those species that form large networks of anastomosing pseudopodia, despite some of them having tests, are not counted amongst testate amoebae; this comprises genus Gromia and the Foraminifera (both in Rhizaria).