The Diplocystidae are a family of parasitic alveolates in the phylum Apicomplexa.

Taxonomy

There is one genus in this family - ''Diplocystis''. The type species of this family and genus is ''Diplocystis schneideri''.

History

This family was created by Bhatia in 1938.Bhatia BL (1938) The fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma. Vol. II Protozoa: Sporozoa. London: Taylor and Francis The genus ''Diplocystis'' was created by Künstler in 1887.Künstler MJ (1887) ''Diplocystis schneíderi'' ''nov. gen''., ''nov. sp''. Tablettes Zool Poitiers t.2 (n1 e2) 25-66

Description

Species in this family infect

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body ( head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

s wherein they infect the gut wall. They are spread by the orofaecal route. The

trophozoite A trophozoite (G. ''trope'', nourishment + ''zoon'', animal) is the activated, feeding stage in the life cycle of certain protozoa such as malaria-causing ''Plasmodium falciparum'' and those of the '' Giardia'' group. (The complement of the trophozo ...

s are found in the lumen of the gut and are usually white in colour. The

gametocyte A gametocyte is a eukaryotic germ cell that divides by mitosis into other gametocytes or by meiosis into gametids during gametogenesis. Male gametocytes are called ''spermatocytes'', and female gametocytes are called ''oocytes''. Development ...

s are rounded and may be found either the gut wall or within the host's body. The sporocysts are spherical or oval and contain eight

sporozoite Apicomplexans, a group of intracellular parasites, have life cycle stages that allow them to survive the wide variety of environments they are exposed to during their complex life cycle. Each stage in the life cycle of an apicomplexan organism i ...

References

Apicomplexa families Parasites of insects {{Apicomplexa-stub