Lacedo pulchella (Horsfield) (Alcedinidae)

Paperna, Ilan, Keong, Malcolm Soh Chu & May, Charlotte Yap Aye, 2008, Haemosporozoan Parasites Found In Birds In Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sarawak And Java, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 56 (2), pp. 211-243 : 222

Lacedo pulchella (Horsfield) (Alcedinidae)

Haemoproteus halcyonis de Mello, 1935 (Table 6)

Locality. – Malaysia: Pasoh, 1998; Johor, Malaysia, 2003.

Type host. – Halcyon smyrnensis (L.) ( India) .

Description. – Robust gametocytes are observed, which gradually expand and occupy the greater volume of the erythrocyte, while displacing the nucleus (NDR from 0.72 to 0.08). Most gametocytes embrace the displaced nucleus but only few also grip it; a few gametocytes embrace completely the erythrocyte nucleus. The macrogametocyte nucleus usually in off-centre position, but is occasionally central. The young stages attach to the erythrocyte wall rather than to its nucleus. Small and medium pigment granules are numerous (> 30).

Remarks. – Bennett & Campbell (1973) described the same species from Hal. chloris in Malaysia, reporting among 10% of the gametocystes wavy undulations on their outer surface as well as that apposing the ertythrocyte nucleus. They suspected these undulations to be artefacts. No such gametocytes has been noticed in the presently studied considered heavy infection. From Hal. smyrnensis second species, Hae. fuscae (Mello & Fonseca, 1937) Bennett & Campbell, 1973 was described. This species likewise fills the entire volume of the erythrocyte, sometimes encircles the nucleus and lacks the surface undulations. Unlike in Hae. halcyonis , in Leu. fuscae the erythrocyte nucleus is barely displaced (NDR = 0.9).