title: Sapocribrum chincoteaguense n. gen. n. sp.: A Small, Scale-bearing Amoebozoan with Flabellinid Affinities.
abstract: The isolate American Type Culture Collection (ATCC)® 50979™ is a small amoebozoan whose actin gene was previously characterized, but did not allow a stable phylogenetic placement. This isolate was originally mis-identified upon deposition, and subsequently mis-illustrated in a recent publication. Here, we provide both a detailed morphological description as well as additional molecular analyses in order to clarify the isolate's phylogenetic relationships. The amoeba is minute (less than 5 μm), and presents the behavior of staying in a fixed location, while emitting one or two thin pseudopods. Transmission electron microscopy reveals that the cell is covered in a layer with embedded scales, giving the cell an armored appearance. Molecular phylogenetic analyses of data (actin, alpha- and beta-tubulin, elongation factor 2, and 14-3-3) from transcriptomes of this and four other isolates reveals that ATCC® 50979(™) is closely related to the recently described Squamamoeba japonica and in a novel, stable clade. Due to the unique nature of the scale covering, as well as other gross morphological characters and the molecular phylogenetic analyses, we formally describe the isolate as Sapocribrum chincoteaguense n. gen. n. sp.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, University of São Paulo, 05508-090, São Paulo, Brazil.|Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, 01063, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel J G
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Lahr
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, 01063, USA.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.affiliation: Protistology Collection, American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, Virginia, 20110, USA.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Molestina
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts, 01063, USA.
authors.forename: Laura A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University, Palisades, New York, 10964, USA.
authors.forename: O Roger
authors.initials: OR
authors.lastname: Anderson
mesh_terms: D056894:Amoebozoa / Q000145:classification* / Q000166:cytology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000818:Animals; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D011554:Pseudopodia; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014404:Tubulin / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D014404:Tubulin
keywords: ATCC PRA-39; Filamoeba; Squamamoeba; Trichosphaerium; phylogenetic analyses; transcriptome; transmission electron microscopy