Penardia mutabilis Cash, 1904

Patsyuk, M. K., 2015, Species Of Naked Amoebae (Protista) New For The Fauna Of Ukraine, Vestnik Zoologii 49 (5), pp. 387-392 : 391

Penardia mutabilis Cash, 1904 ( fig. 5 )

This is a large naked free-living amoeba. Cell shape is variable, spread if adhered to a substrate. The locomotion is relatively rapid. In motion, the amoeba changes its shape, branching in a reticulate net. Pseudopodia can reach 35 μm in length, growing out of a peripheral hyaline fringe of the cytoplasm. Cell length is 300–540 μm, cell width is 80– 110 μm, L/B ratio is 3.5–4. The nuclei are 5–7.5 μm in diameter.

Remarks: the species can be distinguished from closely related species of the genus Biomyxa Leidy, 1875 by cytoplasm’s rapid movement and greenish color (the Biomyxa amoebae have uncolored clear cytoplasm) ( Page, Siemensma, 1991).

Distribution: P. mutabilis occurs in Europe ( Page, Siemensma, 1991).

Habitats: we found the species in lake Svitiaz (Shatsky National Natural Park, Volyn Region) ( Patcyuk, Dovgal, 2012) .

Thus, as a result of the research, 5 amoebae species were found in Ukraine for the first time. According to latest views on the system of naked amoebae ( Smirnov et al., 2011; Bass et al., 2009), they belong to 4 genera from 4 classes, 4 orders and 4 families. Four of the species are lobosea naked amoebae ( Rhizamoeba sp. , T. quadrilineata , T. verrucosa , Flamella sp. ), one is a naked filosea amoeba species ( P. mutabilis ). Also, P. mutabilis ecologically belongs to limnic species complex of naked amoebae that is characteristic of Shatsk lakes ( Patcyuk, Dovgal, 2012).

Figures

Fig. 5. Penardia mutabilis, locomotory forms (a, b). x1240.