The evolution of the Vahlkampfiidae as deduced from 16S-like ribosomal RNA analysis.

The amoebae, a phenotypically diverse, paraphyletic group of protists, have been largely neglected by molecular phylogeneticists. To better understand the evolution of amoebae, we sequenced and analyzed the 16S-like ribosomal RNA genes of three vahlkampfiid amoebae: Paratetramitus jugosus, Tetramitus rostratus and Vahlkampfia lobospinosa. The Vahlkampfiidae lineage is monophyletic, branches early along the eukaryotic line of descent, and is not a close relative of the multicellular amoebae that also reversibly transform from amoebae to flagellates.