Rhizamoeba

Rhizamoeba is a small genus of free-living marine naked lobose amoebae in the monotypic family Rhizamoebidae in the order Leptomyxida. It is most closely related to Leptomyxa and Flabellula, and some species have been moved to Leptomyxa due to molecular data.

Morphology

Members of Rhizamoeba are characterized by their morphology when they move, which is usually monopodial, alternating between a slug-like shape and a fan shape. They have either one nucleus or multiple nuclei.

Classification

The paraphyly of the genus caused the transfer of two previously rhizamoeban species into Leptomyxa: R. australiensis and R. neglecta. As a result, only 3 species are currently confirmed as Rhizamoeba:

Rhizamoeba saxonica
Rhizamoeba polyura
Rhizamoeba matisi

Other possible species are not yet confirmed due to lack of published data or poor documentation. Some of these are: R. schnepfii , Trichamoeba caerulea and Trichamoeba clava , Amoeba clavarioides , Polychaos timidum , etc.