Malawimonads (order Malawimonadida) are a small group of microorganisms with a basal position in the evolutionary tree of eukaryotes, containing only three recognized species.

[4][5] It is clear that the malawimonads are a monophyletic clade at the base of Eukaryota, but there is no consensus on the specific relationships between other basal groups, such as Discoba, Metamonada, Ancyromonadida and Podiata.

Very few modern analyses recover the three clades, Malawimonadida, Discoba and Metamonada, forming an unexpected monophyletic Excavata.

[3] Diaphoretickes (plants, chromalveolates...) Jakobea Tsukubea Euglenozoa Heterolobosea Metamonada Malawimonadida Ancyromonadida CRuMs Amorphea (amoebozoa, fungi, animals...) The malawimonads were first described as order Malawimonadida in 2003 by Thomas Cavalier-Smith.

In 2013 they were also described as a class (Malawimonadea) and were placed as the only member of the subphylum Neolouka as part of the phylum "Loukozoa", a polyphyletic group uniting Metamonada, Jakobea, Tsukubea and the malawimonads.