T. terricola, length c. 230 µm, moss on tree
Thecamoeba terricola (Greeff,1866) Lepsi, 1960
Diagnosis: Slow movement, usually wrinkles around periphery and sometimes fine surface wrinkles extending far forward from more or less wrinkled, sometimes plicate uroid; sometimes small hyaline knobs or scallops on anterior edge; nucleus an elongate ellipsoid, with rather large parietal nucleolar pieces of various sizes, 14-31 µm.
Dimensions: L/B c. 1.6-1.7; in locomotion 60-200 µ, sometimes larger. My measurements: length 90-223 µm, nucleus 14-57 µm (one up to 73 µm, see photomicrograph below!).
Ecoloy: mosses, freshwater. Observed food: algae, testate amoebae, fungi
Remarks: probably this is a species complex. It is hard to compare species from different locations.
Specimens from tree mosses, the Netherlands
Nuclei from four specimens in the same sample, resp. 57, 42, 27 and 49 µm long. The specimens were c. 200 µm long.
Thecamoeba terricola, n = nucleus
Thecamoeba terricola, length 160 µm – in dry moss on tree, the Netherlands (n = nucleus) All specimens on the above photomicrographs are from the same xerophyle moss sample.
Very large nucleus in a specimen from the Rotes Wasser, Germany. Nucleus is 73 µm long.
T. terricola, nucleus 36 X 26 µm – Germany. Specimen with ingested fungus (brown)
Thecamoeba terricola, from moss, the Netherlands. Below three nuclei from specimens in the same sample.
Thecamoeba terricola, from moss, the Netherlands. Three nuclei from specimens in the same sample.