Schoutedamoeba Van Wichelen &

Vanormelingen gen. n.

Diagnosis: Very small (generally <20 µm), uninucleate limax amoeba characterized by alternating eruptive-like pseudopodia formation. Occasional presence of small adhesive uroidal filaments. Posteriorly one small contractile vacuole. Cytoplasm contains several small refractive spheres. Globular floating form with radially several small round, bulb-like pseudopodia. No aggregation or cysts observed. Its 18S rDNA shows a secondary structure (expansion of helix 43 in the variable region V 7) typical for the Variosea .

Differential diagnosis: Morphologically very similar to small Hartmannellidae and Vahlkampfiidae . Probably only distinguishable by its 18S rDNA sequence.

Etymology: The genus is named in honor of Prof. Dr. Henri Schouteden, a prominent Belgian zoologist who was the first to study and describe amoebae from Belgian localities (Schouteden 1905a, b; Van Oye 1956).