One possible method of kin selection is based on genetic cues that can be recognized phenotypically. Genetic recognition has been exemplified in a species that is usually not thought of as a social creature: amoebae. Social amoebae form fruiting bodies when starved for food. These amoebae preferentially formed slugs and fruiting bodies with members of their own lineage, which is clonally related. The genetic cue comes from variable lag genes, which are involved in signaling and adhesion between cells.
