Order Leptomyxida Pussard et Pons, 1976, sensu Smirnov et al. 2017
Diagnosis: Naked with locomotive form altering from a flattened expanded or reticulate one, when slowly moving, to a subcylindrical monopodial one when in rapid movement or under specific conditions; adhesive uroid; uninucleate with tendency to have more and with Leptomyxa always multinucleate; glycocalyx amorphous; Rhizamoeba saxonica has collosomes under cell membrane. Leptomyxid amoebae have a tendency to form multinucleate plasmodia which can be flabellate, multilobed, or highly branched and reticulate. Amoebae never have anterior subpseudopodia.
The diagrams below show three typical forms of Leptomyxida:
Rhizomonotactic morphotype: locomotive form of Rhizamoeba spec.
Stationary flattened form of the same amoeba as above, covered by debris as usual
Leptomyxa spec., branched morphotype – from Valamo Island, Russia (Photomicrograph courtesy Alexey Smirnov)