''Plasmodium tropiduri'' is a parasite of the genus ''

Plasmodium ''Plasmodium'' is a genus of unicellular eukaryotes that are obligate parasites of vertebrates and insects. The life cycles of ''Plasmodium'' species involve development in a blood-feeding insect host which then injects parasites into a ver ...

'' subgenus '' Lacertaemoba''. As in all ''Plasmodium'' species, ''P. tropiduri'' has both

vertebrate Vertebrates () comprise all animal taxa within the subphylum Vertebrata () (chordates with backbones), including all mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Vertebrates represent the overwhelming majority of the phylum Chordata, with c ...

and

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 ...

hosts. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are reptiles. This species is closely related to ''

Plasmodium floridense ''Plasmodium floridense'' is a parasite of the genus ''Plasmodium'' subgenus '' Lacertaemoba''. As in all ''Plasmodium'' species, ''P. floridense'' has both vertebrate and insect hosts. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are lizards. Descr ...

'' and '' Plasmodium minasense''.

Taxonomy

The parasite was first described by Aragão and Neiva in 1909. It had been previous discovered by Carlos Chagas but not formally described. Later it was realised that this species was in fact a species complex. This complex was divided into a number of subspecies by Telford in 1979.

Subspecies

* ''Plasmodium tropiduri aquaticum'' is found in ''

Anolis lionotus ''Anolis lionotus'', the lion anole, is a species of lizard in the family Dactyloidae. The species is found in Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transconti ...

'' and '' Anolis poecilopus'' in Panama and Costa Rica.

Schizont 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 is ...

s are found mostly in pro-erythrocytes, are smaller than erythrocyte nuclei, have 4 to 14 nuclei and contain pigment.

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 occur in erythrocytes, are smaller than erythrocyte nuclei and contain pigment. * ''Plasmodium tropiduri caribbense'' Telford, Johnson and Young, 1989 * ''Plasmodium tropiduri panamense'' is found in '' Anolis biporcatus'' in Panama. Schizonts occur mostly in pro-erythrocytes, are seldom pigmented and are larger in pro-erythrocytes than in erythrocytes They are smaller than erythrocyte nuclei and contain 4 to 18 nuclei. Gametocytes are slightly smaller than erythrocyte nuclei, and are more common in erythrocytes. * ''Plasmodium tropiduri tropiduri'' is found in ''

Tropidurus ''Tropidurus'' is a genus of reptiles. The genus includes many species of Neotropical ground lizards (family Tropiduridae). ''Tropidurus'' is the type genus of the family Tropiduridae. Geographic range and habitat Species in the genus ''Tropi ...

'' lizards including ''

Tropidurus torquatus ''Tropidurus torquatus'' is a species of lizard in the family Tropiduridae, the Neotropical ground lizards. Its common name is Amazon lava lizard.Embert, D. 2010''Tropidurus torquatus''.In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version ...

'' in Brazil, the Guianas and Venezuela.

s are larger than the erythrocyte nuclei and contain 8 to 22 nuclei in a rosette. Pigment is always present. Gametocytes are round or oval and are larger than the erythrocyte nuclei.

Description

This species may be able to develop in thrombocytes as well as erythrocytes.

Distribution

This species complex is found in Brazil, Costa Rica,

the Guianas The Guianas, sometimes called by the Spanish loan-word ''Guayanas'' (''Las Guayanas''), is a region in north-eastern South America which includes the following three territories: * French Guiana, an overseas department and region of France * ...

, Panama and Venezuela.

Vectors

Not known.

Hosts

This species has been found in '' Anolis biporcatus'', '' Anolis cybotes'', ''

'', '' Anolis poecilopus'' and ''

''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Plasmodium Tropiduri tropiduri