VEXILLIFERA EXPECTATA SP. N. AND OTHER NON-ENCYSTING AMEBAS ISOLATED FROM ORGANS OF FRESH-WATER FISH

Four strains of non-encysting amoebae were isolated from organs of fre shwater fishes and characterized using light and electron microscope. Morphology of three clonal strains was consistent with amoebae which h ad already been described from water habitats. Two strains, one isolat ed from kidney tissue of common goldfish, Carassius auratus (Linnaeus, 1758), and the second one from brain of chub, Leuciscus cephalus Linn aeus, 1758, were identified with Vannella platypodia (Glaser, 1912) Pa ge, 1976. Both strains were identical, except for the length of glycos tyles. The strain isolated from the liver of perch, Perca fluviatilis (Linnaeus, 1758), was assigned to the genus Vexillifera Schaeffer, 192 6 as Vexillifera expectata sp. n. The taxonomic position of the fourth non-encysting strain could not be safely established, although it sha res some trophic cell structures with prorostelids (Protostelia, Eumyc etozoea). We present its detailed description here also to demonstrate that amoeba stages of this type of organisms are capable to infect fi shes.