Ref ID : 4890
Stefanie F. Kuhn; Rhizamoeba schnepfii sp. nov., a Naked Amoeba Feeding on Marine Diatoms (North Sea, German Bight). Arch.Protistenk 147:277-282, 1996/97
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Rhizamoeba schnepfii was isolated in September 1994 in plankton samples from the German Bight, North Sea. It was an obligate algivorous amoeba with an unusual feeding mode. Host diatoms were not engulfed, but R. schnepfii pierced a pseudopodium into the frustule and gradually phagocytized the diatom protoplast. The host range was tested. Observation on the feeding success revealed that some diatom species could not be consumed unless the frustule was damaged. It is discussed whether the frustule might serve as a defence mechanism against attacks by invasive protozoans.