Vannella epipetala n. sp. isolated from the leaf surface of Spondias mombin (Anacardiaceae) growing in the dry forest of Costa Rica.
As part of a Microbial Observatory of Caterpillars located in the Area de Conservacíon Guanacaste (ACG) in northwestern Costa Rica, we isolated a novel species of the genus Vannella associated with the food of the caterpillars of the saturniid moth Rothschildia lebeau, namely the leaves of the dry forest deciduous tree Spondias mombin (Anacardiaceae). The new species can be distinguished from other described species of the genus by the presence of a plasmalemma coated with a thickened, osmiophilic lamina containing glycostyles, and by its unusual habitat, the leaf surfaces or phylosphere of S. mombin. We further established the novelty of our isolate by sequencing its nuclear small-subunit (SSU) rRNA gene and inferring its phylogenetic position among all other currently sequenced members of the genera Vannella and Platyamoeba. Our results reveal that our isolate shares most recent common ancestry with three strains of Platyamoeba placida, the type species of the genus Platyamoeba. Despite this placement, the isolate clearly possesses glycostyles that are the hallmark of the genus Vannella. In addition to the cultured isolate, we also present a closely related sequence from a SSU rRNA gene clone library constructed from a DNA extract of leaf-wash of S. mombin with sterile water.
Amaral-Zettler
Linda A
LA
The Josephine Bay Paul Center for Comparative Molecular Biology and Evolution, Marine Biological Laboratory, 7 MBL Street, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA. amaral@mbl.edu
Cole
Jeffrey
J
Laatsch
Abby D
AD
Nerad
Thomas A
TA
Anderson
O Roger
OR
Reysenbach
Anna-Louise
AL
D027926:Anacardiaceae / Q000469:parasitology*; D000818:Animals; D003364:Costa Rica; D020459:Genes, rRNA; D016840:Lobosea / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000469:parasitology; D016053:RNA, Protozoan / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics
D016053:RNA, Protozoan