Tiny Organisms in Aquatic Habitats

Observations on Saccamoeba limax

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Saccamoeba limax (Dujardin, 1841) Page, 1974

Most likely ID: n.a.

Basionym: Amoeba limax Dujardin, 1841

Add’l Synonyms: Hartmanella limax (Dujardin, 1841) Page, 1969

Saccamoeba limax

Sampling date 06/2007. Scale bar indicates 10 µm.

Saccamoeba limax with its villous uroid. Two pseudopods protrude only during change of direction. During ordinary movement on substrate the appearance is monopodial. The inserts show states of defecation.

Place name: Bog Dosenmoor near Neumuenster (Schleswig-Holstein, Germany)
Latitude: 54.136219     Longitude: 10.026433

Microscope Zeiss Universal, camera Olympus C7070WZ.

Saccamoeba limax

Sampling date 10/2008. Scale bar indicates 10 µm.

Floating form of Saccamoeba limax with a characteristic villous collar and the cuboidal crystals. The vesicular nucleus with its huge central nucleolus lies in the middle of the cell. Left of Saccamoeba we can see the prey: Pyxidicula spec., a testate amoeba.

Place name: Pond Suploch, Hiddensee (Germany)
Latitude: 54.538638     Longitude: 13.097802

Microscope Zeiss Universal, camera Olympus C7070WZ.

Scale bars indicate 10 µm (1, 6, 7), 25 µm (2–5).

7  stages of phagocytosis of  Pyxidicula operculata.

Last image: Phagocytosis of Pyxidicula has completed. On the right the typical finely papillate bulbous uroid which recalls the family Amoebidae. Two empty tests of Pyxidicula had been discharged and stayed connected through fine plasma ribbons to the uroid.

Please click on < or > on the image edges or on the dots at the bottom edge of the images to browse through the slides!

Place name: Pond Suploch, Hiddensee (Germany)
Latitude: 54.538638     Longitude: 13.097802

Microscope Zeiss Universal, camera Olympus C7070WZ.

Scale bars indicate 25 µm.

Motion study, 2  stages.

First:Saccamoeba limax in „classical“ shape as it can be found in literature. From the left to the right we see the cuboidal crystals (typical for this species), several food vacuoles, the vesicular nucleus with its huge central nucleolus, the contractile vacuole and another food vacuole. On the right the likewise typical finely papillate bulbous uroid which recalls the family Amoebidae.
Second:Saccamoeba limax changes its direction of locomotion. During this period the classical, monopodial shape is lost.

Please click on < or > on the image edges or on the dots at the bottom edge of the images to browse through the slides!

Place name: Pond Suploch, Hiddensee (Germany)
Latitude: 54.538638     Longitude: 13.097802

Microscope Zeiss Universal, camera Olympus C7070WZ. DOF images.

Scale bars indicate 25 µm.

Motion study, 3  stages.

Saccamoeba limax in „classical“ shape as it can be found in literature. There are several cuboidal crystals (typical for this species), food vacuoles and the vesicular nucleus with its huge central nucleolus. On the left the likewise typical finely papillate bulbous uroid which recalls the family Amoebidae.

Please click on < or > on the image edges or on the dots at the bottom edge of the images to browse through the slides!

Place name: Tropical freshwater aquarium
Latitude: 54.3018013     Longitude: 10.07120132

Microscope Zeiss Axioplan, camera Olympus OM-D M5 MKII. DOF images.

© Wolfgang Bettighofer,
images under Creative Commons License V 3.0 (CC BY-NC-SA).
For permission to use of (high resolution) images please contact postmaster@protisten.de.

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