Jakoba

Jakoba is a genus in the taxon Excavata and currently has only a single described species, Jakoba libera. (Previously described Jakoba incarcerata has been renamed Andalucia incarcerata, and Jakoba bahamensis /Jakoba bahamiensis is not formally described.)

Appearance and characteristics

Jakoba are small bacterivorous zooflagellates (jakobids) found in marine and hypersaline environments. They are free swimming trophic cells with two flagella and range between five and ten micrometers in length. Cells rotate along their longitudinal axis to allow for swimming in straight lines unless deformation and “squirming” occurs due to compression in debris. During feeding, bacteria are removed from the water column by a current created by the posterior flagellum. This current causes the bacteria to collect in the groove on the right ventral side of the cell – aiding in ingestion and the creation of food vacuoles.

Ultrastructure

Cellular components for Jakoba are not particularly unique. They contain a single nucleus found close to the flagellar bases, a single Golgi body, and the mitochondrial organelles are flattened.

List of minor planets: 1001–2000