Due to their ability to replicate indefinitely, and their non-human number of chromosomes, HeLa was described by Leigh Van Valen as an example of the contemporary creation of a new species, Helacyton gartleri. The species was named after Stanley M. Gartler, whom Van Valen credits with discovering "the remarkable success of this species."[45] His argument for speciation depends on these points:
The chromosomal incompatibility of HeLa cells with humans.
The ecological niche of HeLa cells.
Their ability to persist and expand well beyond the desires of human cultivators.
HeLa can be defined as a species as it has its own clonal karyotype.[46]
This definition has not been followed by others in the scientific community, nor, indeed, has it been widely noted.[citation needed]
As well as proposing a new species for HeLa cells, Van Valen proposed in the same paper the new family Helacytidae and the genus Helacyton.[45] Recognition of Van Valen and Maiorana's names, however, renders Homo and Hominidae paraphyletic because Helacyton gartleri is most closely related to Homo sapiens.[citation needed]
However this proposal has not been taken seriously by other prominent evolutionary biologists or scientists in other disciplines. Van Valen’s argument of HeLa being a new species does not fulfill the criteria for an independent unicellular asexually reproducing species because of the notorious instability of the cancer karyotype and their lack of a strict ancestral-descendant lineage.[47][48] What is clear however is that they are not good representatives of human cells[citation needed] and if used as such should preferably be used alongside other human derived cell lines,[citation needed] with more normal karyotypes.