Amoebidae 83 



the amoeba-Euglena cultures. The distilled water used had a pH value 

 of 6.0 to 6.2 and synthetic well water made from this was 7.1. The pH 

 of the well water was always about 7.2. A 0.04% solution of aminoids, 

 freshly made up, sterilized by boiling, and thoroughly cooled for an 

 hour or two had a pH of about 6.9 to 7.2. In the course of 3 or 4 weeks 

 the pH of such cultures gradually rose to 8.0 or 8.2 and sometimes to 

 8.4. This was true regardless of whether they were Euglena or Euglena- 

 amoeba cultures. After the cultures had attained this pH, they main- 

 tained it without appreciable fluctuation. 



Light conditions favorable for the cultivation of Euglena gracilis were 

 not detrimental to the amoebas. All cultures were kept near a north 

 window to protect them from direct sunlight. 



The amoebas were easily cultured at ordinary room temperatures. 

 Best results were obtained when the temperature was 75 ° F. or slightly 

 above. However, cultures were maintained without attention over longer 

 periods of time at lower temperatures. 



Bibliography 



Botsford, E. F. 1922. Rhythms in the rate of reproduction of Amoeba bigemma. 



Proc. Soc. Exper. Biol, and Med. 19:396. 

 Schaeffer, A, A. 1918. Three new species of amoebas: Amoeba bigemma nov. 



spec, Pelomyxa lentissima nov. spec, and P. schiedti nov. spec. Trans. Amer. 



Micr. Soc. 37:79. 

 Taylor, M. 1929. Some further observations on Amoeba proteus. Nature 123:942. 



THE CULTURE OF FLABELLULA MIRA 



D. L. Hopkins, Duke University, N. E. Rice, Brenau College, and 

 H. E. Butts, Wellesley College 



A MARINE amoeba, Flabellula mira, named and described by 

 Schaeffer (1926), has been found only in the waters around 

 Florida. The amoebae used in the development of the following culture 

 methods were collected at Tortugas, Florida, in 1929, and have been 

 maintained in culture at the Duke University Zoological Laboratory 

 since then, making a total of six years in culture. 



These amoebae may be collected from their natural habitat easily. 

 With a pipette collect some seawater containing a little seaweed or debris 

 from tidal pools or shallow places over a reef. Bring it into the labora- 

 tory, pour into petri dishes, dilute considerably with sterile seawater, 

 and add 6 grains of wheat to each petri dish. In three or four days the 

 amoebae will have become abundant on the bottom of the dish and on 

 the surface film. It is very probable that more than one species of 

 amoebae will be present and will develop in these cultures. There are 

 two or three amoebae of the genus Flabellula from which it is very diffi- 

 cult to distinguish Flabellula mira. It is therefore necessary to study 



