Saccamoeba Frenzel, 1892

Patsyuk, M. K., 2016, New Finds Of Naked Amoebae (Protista) In Water Reservoirs Of Ukraine, Vestnik Zoologii 50 (4), pp. 291-300 : 292

Genus Saccamoeba Frenzel, 1892

Amoebae of the genus Saccamoeba belong to the monotactic morphotype. The shape of these protists’s bodies is wormlike or clavate. At the anterior end of the cell there is a small area of hyaloplasm. The uroidal structures are of the villous-bulbous type. The nucleus is of the vesicular type, the cytoplasm contains bipyramidal crystals. Most species form cysts ( Page, 1988; Patsyuk, 2012 a).

The species of the genus live in fresh and salt water, and soil ( Alimov, 2000).

Saccamoeba were found in the water bodies of Europe, North and South America ( Page, Siemensma, 1991).

Although we observed only one distinct species of the genus, the morphological data were not sufficient to identify it to the species level; that is why the protist is referred to as Saccamoeba sp. ( fig. 2 ).

The organism belongs to the monopodial morphotype. The cells are clavate, relatively wide, the hyaline cap almost disappears in motion. The cytoplasm moves relatively fast, it forms short pseudopodia when the amoeba begins to move in another direction. The single contractile vacuole can be situated anywhere in the granuloplasm. The uroid is distinctly defined, relatively large, and belongs to the villous-bulbous type.

The length is 65–92 µm, width is 30–32 µm, the L/B ratio is 3–3.2.

The single nucleus is of the vesicular type, its diameter is around 8 µm.

We did not observe cyst formation in the culture.

Previously, we have found the species in the water bodies of Volyn Polissya ( Patcyuk, Dovgal, 2012). The new locality is the Cherevakha River ( Manevichi District , Volyn Region) .

Figures

Fig. 2. Saccamoeba sp.: 1–11 — loco- motor forms, ×1240.