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Ultrastructure and molecular phylogeny of the genus
Flamella Schaeffer, 1926 (Amoebozoa)
Alexander Kudryavtsev 1 , Claudia Wylezich 2 , Martin Schlegel 3 , Julia
Walochnik 4 , Rolf Michel 5
1
Dept. Invertebrate Zoology, Fac. of Biology and Soil Sci., St. Petersburg State
University, Russia and AG Protozoology, Institute of Biology/Zoology, FU
Berlin
2
General Ecology and Limnology, Institute of Zoology, University of Cologne
3
Molecular Evolution and Animal Systematics, University of Leipzig
4
Department of Medical Parasitology, Clinical Institute of Hygiene and Medical
Microbiology, Medical University of Vienna
5
Central Institute of the Federal Armed Forces Medical Services, Dept. of
Parasitology, Koblenz
Previous morphological studies failed to infer the position of the genus
Flamella Schaeffer, 1926 among Amoebozoa, resulting in several
conflicting hypotheses. We studied morphology and ultrastructure of
three new Flamella spp., and inferred the phylogenetic relations of
the genus using SSU rRNA gene sequences of five species. Trophic
amoebae of Flamella spp. demonstrate mitochondria with tubular
cristae, cytoplasmic microtubules, and no typical dictyosomes. Instead,
their cytoplasm contains small flattened vesicles, especially in
the perinuclear region, that might correspond to the Golgi complex.
Cysts are double-walled in all species, with several ostioles covered
by operculae. These features are identical to those of Comandonia
operculata Pernin et Pussard, 1979, suggesting a synonymy of Flamella
and Comandonia. In the SSU rRNA phylogenetic trees Flamella
is monophyletic and robustly forms a single lineage with Filamoeba
spp. We include the genus Flamella in the family Filamoebidae
Cavalier-Smith et al., 2004. This family constantly groups with the
Conosa (i.e. Archamoebae+Mycetozoa) branch of Amoebozoa.
Partially supported by the DAAD fellowship A/05/00103 to AK,
grants Schl 229/7-1,2 from DFG and 06-04-49387 from RFBR.
aak@ak14261.spb.edu
claudia.wylezich@uni-koeln.de
schlegel@rz.uni-leipzig.de
julia.walochnik@meduniwien.ac.at
r.michel1@gmx.de
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