Vannella salarenaria sp. nov. (Amoebozoa, Vannellida) and its implications for the distribution of amoebae

Summary Vannella salarenaria sp. nov. was isolated from the upper layer of sand at the dry bottom of Paralimniou lake (Cyprus). This species can be cultured under the salinity up to 40‰, like a typical marine amoeba. However, it also tolerates freshwater conditions and demonstrates a contractile vacuole in this case. Based on the morphological and SSU rRNA data, this species is most closely related to the previously sequenced marine strain Vannella sp. ED40Ana, isolated from the Ebro River delta on the Spanish coast of the Mediterranean Sea in 2000th. We present here archived morphological data on this strain. Among named species, the strain CY18.4SO.2 is most similar morphologically to V. flabellata , described by F.C. Page in 1974 as Platyamoeba . However, it differs from this species in the presence of pentagonal glycostyles in the cell coat. This is the first case of isolation of an amoeba species which can be cultured under marine conditions from the terrestrial habitat. It suggests that amoebae, showing a wide range of salinity tolerance, may populate terrestrial sites in the proximity of the sea.