A temporary flagellate (mastigote) stage in the vahlkampfiid amoeba Willaertia magna and its possible evolutionary significance

A temporary flagellate (mastigote) stage has been observed in several isolates of the vahlkampfiid amoeba Willaertia magna. In an Australian isolate studied in detail, flagellates appeared synchronously, although later than in Naegleria fowleri or N. lovaniensis under similar conditions (half-maximal time, t 50 = 168 min at 37°C). The flagellates initially have four flagella and lack a cytostome, but undergo several successive divisions, the first of them synchronous, resulting in progressive reduction in cell volume. New flagella appear during and after division, and the number of flagella in daughter cells of later divisions is rather variable. Comparison of these observations with descriptions of other amoeboflagellates confirms that Willaertia is a valid genus. A likely sequence of morphological changes in the evolution of Willaertia and Naegleria from a hypothetical ancestral vahlkampfiid is proposed.