Low Genetic Diversity In Willaertia Magna From Wide Geographical Sources, and Characterisation of Willaertia Minor N. Sp. (Heterolobosea, Vahlkampfidae)

ABSTRACT. Twelve isolates assigned to Willaertia magna by morphological and physiological criteria, including the type material, were characterised at 23 enzyme-encoding loci. Isolates from Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, England, France, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Madagascar and Papua New Guinea showed fixed alleles at 18 loci and polymorphism at Acp, Lap, Me, 6Pgd and Pgm 1. the maximum difference in pairwise comparisons was 8.7%, consistent with intra-specific variation in the related genus Naegleria. an additional isolate, assigned to Willaertia by features of its flagellate and cyst stages, represents a new species. Willaertia minor n. sp. shares alleles with W. magna at only three loci, has a maximum growth temperature of 38°C and is significantly smaller in all stages than W. magna. Flagellates appear to divide only once and fail to replace the lost flagella, producing biflagellate daughter cells. Cysts and trophozoites are more readily mistaken for Naegleria , but lack perinuclear granules, as do the mature cysts of W. magna.     

Revision of the Family Spironemidae Doflein (Protista, Hemimastigophora), With Description of Two New Species, Spironema Terricola N. Sp. and Stereonema Geiseri N, G., N. Sp.

ABSTRACT. Two new hemimastigophoran flagellates are described using light and electron microscopy, and the family Spironemidae is revised. Spironema terricola n. sp. occurs in soil from the Grand Canyon (southwest USA). It moves in a conspicuously euglenoid manner and differs from S. multiciliatum Klebs by its vermiform shape and shorter kinetics. Spironema terricola is similar to Goodey's Spironema multiciliatum from soil in England. However, Goodey's vermiform species has a very elongate nucleus and is thus neither identical with S. terricola , which has a roundish nucleus, nor with Klebs' lanceolate S. multiciliatum ; we consider it a new species, Spironema goodeyi n. sp, Stereonema geiseri n. g., n. sp. was discovered in the Aufwuchs (periphyton) of a river in Bavaria, Germany. the new genus differs from Spironema by its a contractility, and from Hemimastix by its shorter kinetics and less plicate cortex. the fine structure of Spironema and Stereonema is very similar to that of Hemimastix Foissner et al., viz., the cortex is composed of two plates having diagonal symmetry and the flagellated basal bodies have associated a short and a long microtubular ribbon. All species have unique extrusomes of the same type. the main differences between the three genera and five species recognized are contractility, length of kinetics, body size, shape of cell and nucleus, and particulars of the cortex and extrusomes. the phylogenetic relationships of the Hemimastigophora are still uncertain. However, the diagonal symmetry of the cortical plates and the pronounced euglenoid movement of Spironema spp. suggest a common ancestor with euglenids.