''Lipocystis'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

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 ...

. Species in this genus 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 ...

Taxonomy

This genus was created by Grell in 1938.Grell K G (1938) Untersuchungen an Schizogregarinen. I. ''Lipocystis polyspora'' n. g. m. sp., eine neue Schizogregarine aus dem Fettkörper von ''Panorpa communis'' L. Arch Protistenk 91:526-545 Grell observed the parasite during his work for his PhD thesis. The only recognised species in this genus is ''Lipocystis polyspora''.

Description

The life cycle of this parasite occurs within the fat body of the host. Transmission is via the oro-faecal route. The infective

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 is ...

s are fusiform. Once ingested the sporozoites invade the wall of the gut ''en route'' to the fat body. After invasion the sporozoites enlarge into rounded micronuclear

meront 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 (nuclear diameter = 1

micron 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 Un ...

). This first round of

merogony 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 ...

produces

merozoite 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 with small nuclei which their turn become meronts. The second generation meronts produce two types of merozoites either with large nuclei which again give rise to merozoites or spheroidal gamonts. The gamonts enlarge and pair in syzygy. This pairing in its turn leads to the formation of multimucleate gametocytes. These gametocytes form gametes which are released and fuse. After gamete fusion a

zygote A zygote (, ) is a eukaryotic cell formed by a fertilization event between two gametes. The zygote's genome is a combination of the DNA in each gamete, and contains all of the genetic information of a new individual organism. In multicell ...

results. Within each zygote up to 200 navicular (boat like) oocysts may form. Each oocyst contains 8 sporozoites.

Host records

This species infects the scorpion fly ('' Panorpa communis'').

References

Apicomplexa genera {{Apicomplexa-stub