Podomonas kaiyoae n. sp., a novel apusomonad growing axenically

Apusomonadida (apusomonads) is a group of heterotrophic biflagellates that feed on bacteria and small protists. Their diversity is not fully understood, and several major lineages remain to be identified in natural environments. Here, we report Podomonas kaiyoae n. sp., which was isolated from deep-sea sediment and can be maintained as an axenic culture. While P. kaiyoae branched within one of the major unidentified lineages, the combination of the morphological characteristics is generally similar to that of Podomonas species, but can be distinguished from that of other Podomonas species based on the cell sizes.