''Allantocystis'' is a genus in the family ''Allantocystidae''. Its only species is ''Allantocystis dasyhelei'', a

gregarine The gregarines are a group of Apicomplexan alveolates, classified as the Gregarinasina or Gregarinia. The large (roughly half a millimeter) parasites inhabit the intestines of many invertebrates. They are not found in any vertebrates. However, gr ...

parasite of the larval biting midge '' Dasyhelea obscura''.

Description

''A. dasyhelei'' are found in the midgut of the host larva as 70

μm The micrometre ( international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American spelling), also commonly known as a micron, is a unit of length in the International System of Unit ...

by 20 μm forms, running parallel to the host body. They are unique from other Gregarine parasites in that their cysts are elongated, rather than spherical.

Taxonomy

''A. dasyhelei'' is the only species in the genus ''Allantocystis''. ''Allantocystis'' is the only genus in the family ''Allantocistidae''.

History

''A. dasyhelei'' was described by

David Keilin David Keilin FRS (21 March 1887 – 27 February 1963) was a Jewish scientist focusing mainly on entomology. Background and education He was born in Moscow in 1887 and his family returned to Warsaw early in his youth. He did not attend scho ...

in 1920 from larval biting midges he found in the decomposing sap of infected Elm and Horse-chestnut trees in Cambridge.

References

Apicomplexa families {{Apicomplexa-stub