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 high-quality 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 a partial 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.