Molecular phylogeny of Paradermamoeba valamo (Amoebozoa, Discosea, Dermamoebida)

A remarkable amoeba species – Paradermamoeba valamo Smirnov et Goodkov,1993 was re-isolated from the bottom sediment in Izmailovo Park pond (Moscow, Russia). For the first time, we obtained modern DIC images of this species. High-quality light-microscopy allowed us to resolve some subcellular structures, including trichocyst-like bodies, and show congruence of the present optical images with the results of earlier electron-microscopic studies. We applied single-cell PCR to obtain full sequence of the 18S rRNA gene of this species. The analysis of genetic distances, as well as the result of phylogenetic analysis, shows that P. valamo is a valid species, related to P. levis but showing clear morphological and molecular differences.