''Plasmodium hegneri'' 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 vert ...

'' subgenus ''

Giovannolaia ''Giovanolaia'' is a subgenus of the genus ''Plasmodium'' created by Corradetti ''et al.'' in 1963. The parasites within this subgenus infect birds. This subgenus was shown on the basis of DNA analysis to be polyphyletic. This is unsurprising � ...

''. Like all ''Plasmodium'' species ''P. hegneri'' has both

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

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 pairs ...

hosts. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

Description

The parasite was first described by Manwell and Kuntz in 1966.Manwell RD and Kuntz RE. (1966) ''Plasmodium hegneri'' n. sp. from the European teal ''Anas c. crecca'' in Taiwan. J. Protozool. 13(3):437-440 It is related to the following species '' Plasmodium asanum''
'' Plasmodium circumflexum''
''

Plasmodium durae ''Plasmodium durae'' is a parasite of the genus ''Plasmodium'' subgenus '' Giovannolaia''. Like all ''Plasmodium'' species ''P. durae'' has both vertebrate and insect hosts. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are birds. Description The ...

''
'' Plasmodium fallax''
''

Plasmodium formosanum ''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 verte ...

''
'' Plasmodium gabaldoni''
''

Plasmodium lophrae ''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 verteb ...

''
''

Plasmodium pediocetti ''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 verteb ...

''
''

Plasmodium pinotti ''Plasmodium pinotti'' is a parasite of the genus ''Plasmodium'' subgenus '' Giovannolaia''. Like all ''Plasmodium'' species ''P. pinotti'' has both vertebrate and insect hosts. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are birds. Description Th ...

''
''

Plasmodium polare ''Plasmodium polare'' is a parasite of the genus ''Plasmodium'' subgenus '' Papernaia''. Like all ''Plasmodium'' species ''P. polare'' has both vertebrate and insect hosts. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are birds. Description The p ...

Geographical occurrence

This species was originally isolated in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northe ...

but is likely to be much more widespread.

Clinical features and host pathology

This species infects the common or European

teal alt=American teal duck (male), Green-winged teal (male) Teal is a greenish-blue colour. Its name comes from that of a bird — the Eurasian teal (''Anas crecca'') — which presents a similarly coloured stripe on its head. The word is oft ...

(''

Anas crecca The Eurasian teal (''Anas crecca''), common teal, or Eurasian green-winged teal is a common and widespread duck that breeds in temperate Eurosiberia and migrates south in winter. The Eurasian teal is often called simply the teal due to being th ...

'').

References

hegneri Parasites of birds {{plasmodium-stub