Pelomyxa is a genus of giant flagellaramoebae, usually 500–800 μm but occasionally up to 5 mm in length, found in anaerobic or microaerobic bottom sediments of stagnant freshwater ponds or slow-moving streams.[1]
The genus was created by R. Greeff, in 1874, with Pelomyxa palustris as its type species.[2] In the decades following the erection of Pelomyxa, researchers assigned numerous new species to it. However, in the last quarter of the 20th century, investigators reduced the genus to a single species, Pelomyxa palustris, which was understood to be a highly changeable organism with a complex life cycle, whose various phases had been mistaken for separate species.[3][4] All described species were relegated to the status of synonyms, or moved to the unrelated genus Chaos.
Since 2004, four new Pelomyxa species have been described, and two older species have been redescribed and confirmed as valid members of the genus. These developments have raised new questions about the nature of Pelomyxa palustris itself.[1][5][6][7][8][9]
^ abChistyakova, L. V., and A. O. Frolov. "Light and electron microscopic study of Pelomyxa stagnalis sp. n.(Archamoebae, pelobiontida)." Cell and Tissue Biology 5.1 (2011): 90-97.
^Brugerolle G. and Patterson D. 2000. Order Pelobiontida Page 1976. In: An illustrated guide to the protozoa, second edition (Eds. Lee J., Leedale G. and Bradbury P.). Allen press inc., Lawrence, USA. pp. 1097-1103.
^Frolov, Alexander O., Ludmila V. Chystjakova, and Andrew V. Goodkov. "Light and electron microscopic study of Pelomyxa binucleata (Gruber, 1884)(Peloflagellatea, Pelo biontida)." Protistology 4 (2005): 57-73.
^Frolov, A., et al. "Structure and Development of Pelomyxa gruberi sp. n.(Peloflagellatea, Pelobiontida)." Protistology 4 (2006): 227-244.
^Frolov, A. O., et al. "Light and electron microscopic investigation of Pelomyxa prima (Gruber, 1884)(Peloflagellatea, Pelobiontida)." Tsitologiia 47.1 (2005): 89-98.
^Frolov, A. O., L. V. Chistiakova, and M. N. Malysheva. "Light-and electron-microscopical study of Pelomyxa flava sp. n.(archamoebae, pelobiontida)]." Tsitologiia 52.9 (2010): 776.