Chistyakova L.V1,2, Bogolyubov D.S.3*, Goodkov A.V.3 2025. Structure in the Pelomyxa nuclei: key morphological patterns // Invert. Zool. Vol.22. No.4. P.533–544 [in English].
1 Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 1 Universitetskaya Emb., St. Petersburg 199034 Russia.
2 Department of Invertebrate Zoology, Faculty of Biology, St Petersburg University, 7/9 Universitetskaya Emb., St. Petersburg 199034 Russia.
3 Institute of Cytology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 4 Tikhoretsky Ave., St. Petersburg 194064 Russia.
* Corresponding author
Ludmila Chistyakova: pelomixa@mail.ru ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7192-1198
Dmitry Bogolyubov: dbogol@mail.ru ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7179-9487
Andrew Goodkov: pelgood1@gmail.com ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0949-2622
doi: 10.15298/invertzool.22.4.01
ABSTRACT: The pelomyxae are archamoebian multinuclear protists with a specific cellular organization, including a peculiar nuclear structure. It is generally accepted that all species belonging to the genus Pelomyxa are characterized by exceptional morphological diversity of their nuclei. However, a detailed comparative morphological analysis of 16 species of Pelomyxa, including one species that has not yet been formally described, allowed us to divide them into four clearly defined groups within one fundamentally common type of nuclear organization. No obvious correlation has been established between nuclear structure and other important species-specific features of pelomyxae, such as the organization of the flagellar apparatus, nuclear envelope, etc. It is possible that the observed differences in nuclear organization may reflect the peculiarities of cellular metabolism of certain species, which arose as a result of fine adaptation to the different microniches of the anoxic environment in which they all live.
KEY WORDS: nuclear structure, ultrastructure, Archamoebae, Pelomyxa spp.