''Defretinella'' is a genus of parasitic alveolates of the phylum

Apicomplexa The Apicomplexa (also called Apicomplexia) are a large phylum of parasitic alveolates. Most of them possess a unique form of organelle that comprises a type of non-photosynthetic plastid called an apicoplast, and an apical complex structure. Th ...

Taxonomy

This genus had been placed in the family Barrouxiidae by Levine but has since been moved to the family ''Eleutheroschizonidae''. There is one species recognised in this genus — ''Defretinella eulaliae''.

Description

This species infects a polychete species — the green leaf worm ('' Eulalia viridis''). The oocysts contain >50 bivalved sporocysts: each sporocyst in its turn contains numerous sporozoites. The sporocysts are bivalved.

References

Apicomplexa genera {{Apicomplexa-stub