Genus Vrihiamoeba Murase, Kawasaki, De Jonckheere 2010

Diagnosis: Soil heterolobosean amoebae which move with eruptive pseudopods, having occasionally a flabullate or spatulate shape. Normally they have a single vesicular nucleus. No flagellate stage is observed, but cysts are formed. Type species: Vrihiamoeba italica

Vrihiamoeba italica  Murasea, Kawasaki, De Jonckheere 2010

Diagnosis: With characters of the genus. Trophozoites 12.7-35.2 µm (mean 19.3 µm) in length and the breath is 5.6-16.0 µm (mean 10.8 µm); L/B ratio 1.1-3.2 (mean 1.9). The amoebae grow at 25 °C and no growth is observed at 37 °C. There is a single centrally located nucleolus. The cysts are approximately spherical with a diameter of 4.3-7.0 µm (mean 5.8 µm). They have a smooth inner wall and an outer wall, which is rippled or sometimes raised in peaks. No pores are present in the cyst wall.

Type Locality: ricefield soil of the Istituto Sperimentale della Risicoltura, Vercelli, Italy.