Salinella

{{Short description|Dubious species of simple animal}}

{{Speciesbox

| image = Salinella salve Frenzel (cropped).jpg

| image_alt = Johannes Frenzel's illustrations, 1892

| image_caption = Johannes Frenzel's illustrations, 1892

| grandparent_authority = R. Blackwelder, 1963

| genus = Salinella

| parent_authority = J. Frenzel, 1891{{sfn|Acosta|2015|p=89}}

| species = salve

| authority = J. Frenzel, 1892{{sfn|Acosta|2015|p=89}} nomen inquirendum

| synonyms =

| synonyms_ref =

}}

Salinella salve is a dubious species of a very simple animal which some have named as the sole member of the phylum Monoblastozoa. It was discovered in 1892 by Johannes Frenzel in the salt pans of Córdoba Province, Argentina and cultivated in a laboratory by him. This animal has not been found since and its real existence is considered as doubtful.{{cite book|last1=Brusca |first1=R. C.|last2=Brusca|first2=G. J.|title=Invertebrados |year=2005|publisher=McGraw-Hill-Interamericana|location=Madrid|edition=2nd|isbn=978-0-87893-097-5}}{{cite web|last=Taylor|first=Christopher|date=June 27, 2007|title=Salinella - what the crap was it?|work=Catalogue of Organisms|url=http://coo.fieldofscience.com/2007/06/salinella-what-crap-was-it.html}} A project involving Michael Schrödl from the Zoological State Collection in Munich searched for Salinella in salt lakes across Argentina and Chile, but failed to find any specimens.{{cite web|url=http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/32652/title/Gone-Missing--circa-1892/|last=Dunning|first=Hayley|date=October 1, 2012|title=Gone Missing, circa 1892|work=The Scientist}}{{cite web|url=http://www.spektrum.de/alias/zoologie/jaeger-der-verborgenen-art/1171793|last=Viering|first=Kerstin|date=November 23, 2012|title=Jäger der verborgenen Art|work=Spektrum}}{{Cite journal |last1=Tihelka |first1=Erik |last2=Cai |first2=Chenyang |date=2021-09-27 |title=Salinella |journal=Current Biology |language=en |volume=31 |issue=18 |pages=R1070–R1071 |doi=10.1016/j.cub.2021.07.013|doi-access=free |pmid=34582810 |bibcode=2021CBio...31R1070T }}