Syncystis is a genus of
parasitic
Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson ha ...
alveolates 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 family infect insects (
Aeshnidae
The Aeshnidae, also called aeshnids, hawkers, or darners, is a family of dragonflies. The family includes the largest dragonflies found in North America and Europe and among the largest dragonflies on the planet.
Description
Common worldwide or ...
).
History
This genus was described by Schneider in 1886.
Taxonomy
Two species are currently recognised in this family.
[Tuzet O, Manier JF (1953) ''Syncystis aeschnae'' n.sp. Néogrégarine (Schizogrégarine, Léger, 1900) parasite des larves d'Aeschna. Ann Nat Sci Zool IIe ser 15:241-246]
The type species is ''
Syncystis mirabilis'' Schneider 1886.
Lifecycle
The development of these parasites is mostly intracellular.
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 ...
results in the formation of about 150 elongate, slender
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 which become spheroidal as they differentiate into amoeboid or spheroidal
gamonts.
The gamonts associate in
syzygy and subdivide into
gamete
A gamete (; , ultimately ) is a haploid cell that fuses with another haploid cell during fertilization in organisms that reproduce sexually. Gametes are an organism's reproductive cells, also referred to as sex cells. In species that produce ...
s.
Fusion of the gametes leads to numerous
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 ...
s within the
gametocyst which is either spherical or bilobed.
Numerous (30 to 150)
oocysts are formed per gametocyst. The oocysts are navicular and have three or four spines extending from each pole of the wall.
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 is ...
s form per oocyst.
References
Conoidasida
Apicomplexa genera
{{Apicomplexa-stub