Clydonella

Page updated 11/8/03

It is suspected (Page, 1983), that members described under the genus Clydonella (Sawyer, 1975a & b), may actually belong to the common marine genus Platyamoeba. Some reports suggest that Platyamoeba may be synonymous with Vannella (Sims et al, 2002), but others indicate that Clydonella is a distinct group within the family Vannellidae (Peglar et al, 2003).  As the controversy continues, the genus name Clydonella continues to be used by some workers.  A recent E.M. study (Peglar et al, 2003) has shown that two species of Clydonella (ATCC 50816 and 50884) have glycostyles very similar to those to be found on Vannella. 

Morphologically it has been observed that Clydonella can be differentiated from Vannella and Platyamoeba as "ripples" can be seen originating at the leading edge and travelling toward the rear, these are not to be found in either Vannella or Platyamoeba (Sawyer 1975 a,b,c).

Clydonella sp ATCC 50816

Clydonella sp ATCC 50884

References:-

Page, F.C. (1983) "Marine Gymnamoebae" Inst.Terr.Ecol. NERC .

Peglar, M. T., Amaral Zettler, L. A., Anderson, O. R., Nerad, T. A., Gillevet, P. M., Mullen, T. E., Frasca Jr, S., Silverman, J. D., O'Kelly, C. J. & Sogin, M. L. (2003) Two new small-subunit ribosomal RNA gene lineages within the subclass Gymnamoebia.  J.Eukaryot.Microbiol. 50, 224-232.

Mayes, D.F., Rogerson, A., Marchant, H.J. and Laybourn-Parry, J. (1998). Temporal abundance of naked bacterivore amoeba in coastal East Antartica. Estuarine,Coastal & Shelf Sci. 46: 565-572.

Peglar, M. T., Amaral Zettler, L. A., Anderson, O. R., Nerad, T. A., Gillevet, P. M., Mullen, T. E., Frasca Jr, S., Silverman, J. D., O'Kelly, C. J. & Sogin, M. L. (2003) Two new small-subunit ribosomal RNA gene lineages within the subclass Gymnamoebia. J.Eukaryot.Microbiol. 50, 224-232.

Sawyer, T.K. (1975a). Marine amoebae from surface waters of Chincoteague Bay, Virginia: two new genera and nine new species within the families Mayorellidae, Flabellulidae and Stereomyxidae. Trans.Am.Microscop.Soc. 94: 71-92.

Sawyer, T.K. (1975b). Marine amoebae from surface waters of Chincoteague Bay, Virginia: one new genus and eleven new species within the families Thecamoebidae and Hyalodiscae. Trans.Am.Microscop.Soc. 94: 305-323.

Sawyer, T.K. (1975c). Clydonella n.g. (Amoebida: Thecamoebidae) proposed to provide an appropriate generic home for Schaeffer's marine species of  Rugipes, C. viva (Schaeffer, 1926) n. comb. Trans Am.Microscop.Soc. 94:395-400.

Shaeffer, A.A. (1926). Taxonomy of the amoebas. Pap.Dept.Mar.Biol.Carnegie Instn.Wash., 24: 1-116.

Sims, G. P., Aitken, R. & Rogerson, A. (2002) Identification and phylogenetic analysis of morphologically similar naked amoebae using small subunits ribosomal RNA. J.Eukaryot.Microbiol. 49, 478-484.