''Pseudoklossia'' 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 ...

in 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 marine molluscs, although one species (''Pseudoklossia microcosmi'') infects in an ascidian worm. The life cycle is

heteroxenous Heteroxeny, or heteroxenous development, characterizes a parasite whose development involves several host species. Heteroxeny has been used as the basis for splitting genera. When there are two or three hosts, the development cycle is named d ...

(requires at least two hosts). The species infecting molluscs tend to infect the renal tissue.

History

This genus was created by Leger and Duboscq in 1915.Leger L and Duboscq O (1915) ''Pseudoklossia glomerata'' n. g. n. sp., coccidie de lamellibranche. Archives de Zoologie Experimentale et Generale 55: 7-16

Taxonomy

The type species is ''Pseudoklossia glomerata''.

Description

The oocysts have numerous sporocysts. Each sporocyst generally has 2

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 ...

References

Apicomplexa genera {{Apicomplexa-stub