“Candidatus Finniella” (Rickettsiales, Alphaproteobacteria), Novel Endosymbionts of Viridiraptorid Amoeboflagellates (Cercozoa, Rhizaria)
ABSTRACTTheRickettsiales(Alphaproteobacteria) are obligate intracellular bacteria that colonize a wide range of eukaryotic hosts, including diverse metazoa and protists. Here, we characterize rickettsial endosymbionts discovered in the cytoplasm of the algivorous amoeboflagellatesViridiraptor invadensandOrciraptor agilis(Viridiraptoridae, Cercozoa, Rhizaria), supplying evidence of free-living, phagotrophic members of the Cercozoa serving as hosts forRickettsiales. According to 16S rRNA gene phylogenies, the bacteria represent two closely related but distinct genotypes within a deep-branching rickettsial clade, which contains the genera “CandidatusOdyssella,” “CandidatusParacaedibacter,” and “CandidatusCaptivus.” Using the full-cycle rRNA approach, we detected the novel bacteria in four of nine viridiraptorid strains tested. Furthermore, two specific oligonucleotide probes with a single-nucleotide-difference discriminated both bacterial genotypes by fluorescencein situhybridization (FISH). We establish the candidate species “CandidatusFinniella inopinata” (found inViridiraptor invadens) and “CandidatusFinniella lucida” (found inOrciraptor agilis) for the novel bacteria and propose a new, provisional family ofRickettsiales, “CandidatusParacaedibacteraceae.”