VAHLKAMFIA NANA 



323 



V. hinucleata may be a stage in the development of Pelomyxa, 

 which appears to be impossible to Jepps and Dobell, while Alexeieff 

 places it in a genus Hartmannella with a type H. hyalima Dangeard, 

 which Jepps and Dobell say is quite different. It probably requires 

 a new genus creating for itself. V . diploidea was obtained by 

 Hartmann and Naegler in cultures from lizard faeces, and has been 

 found by Jepps and Dobell in human faeces which had been kept for 

 some time. Alexeieff proposes to place it in Sappinia Dangeard, 1896. 

 V . pcedophthora Caullery, 1910, is like V . Umax, but is parasitic in the 

 eggs and embryos of a crab, belonging to the genus Peltogaster. 



Vahlkamfia nana Wenyon and O'Connor, 1917. 



Synonym. — Entamoeba nana Wenyon and O'Connor, 1917; 

 Vahlkamfia nana Brug, 191 7. 



Definition. — Vahlkamfia of small size (5-10 microns), moving 

 slowly, with blunt ectoplasmic pseudopodia, nucleus with membrane 

 and large central karyosome, cysts 7-8 x 8-10 (when elongated) 

 microns with one to four nuclei, without chromidial bodies. 



a b c 



Fig. 63. — Vahlkamfia nana (Wenyon and O'Connor, 1916), 

 {a) Trophozoite, fresh conditions; (&) trophozoite stained preparation; 



{c) cyst with two nuclei. 

 (After Wenyon and O'Connor, from the publications of the Wellcome 

 Bureau of Scientific Research.) 



Remarks. — ^This amoeba was found by Wenyon and O'Connor in 

 Egypt, and we have seen it in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan and 

 Southern Italy. It has been confused with L. coli, L. histolytica, 

 and V. Umax. V. nana has not been cultivated. 



Time will be required to show definitely its generic position. 

 Provisionally we have placed it under Vahlkamfia, though its cyst 

 is binucleate. 



Genus Dientamoeba Jepps and Dobell, 1918. 



Definition.- — Gymnamoehida of small size, without a known flagel- 

 late stage, and typically binucleate, with both nuclei of the same 

 size and structure. 



Type Species.' — Dientamceba fragilis Jepps and Dobeli, 1918, 

 found in man. It is the only known species at present. 



Dientamoeba fragilis Jepps and Dobell, 1918. 

 Definition. — Dientamceba with the generic characters. 

 Historical. — 'This amoeba was first detected by Jepps and Dobeli 

 in 1917 in a native of the British Isles who had never been abroad, 



