Plasmodium reniai Chavatte & Landau, 2009

Chavatte, Jean-Marc, Grès, Virginie, Snounou, Georges, Chabaud, Alain & Landau, Irène, 2009, Plasmodium (Apicomplexa) of the skylark (Alauda arvensis), Zoosystema 31 (2), pp. 369-383 : 375-376

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.5252/z2009n2a8
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/6029414C-FF9F-3A66-DBFE-FE45FEC5FE15
treatment provided by	Marcus
scientific name	Plasmodium reniai Chavatte & Landau
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Plasmodium reniai Chavatte & Landau , n. sp. ( Fig. 2A View FIG )

TYPE MATERIAL. — Holotype: France. Landes , Saint- Julien-en-Born, 44°03’42’’N, 1°13’33’’W, blood smear of A. arvensis number 741U, 25.X.1996 ( MNHN 440 View Materials LV PXIII, 64) ( Fig. 3G View FIG ). GoogleMaps

Paratypes: same data as holotype. Blood smears of A. arvensis number 741U, 25.X.1996 ( MNHN P2- XXV, 44-64).

ETYMOLOGY. — This species is dedicated to Laurent Rénia.

DISTRIBUTION. — Known only from the type locality, Saint-Julien-en-Born, Landes, France.

HOST. — Alauda arvensis (type host).

DESCRIPTION

The parasite lies in a non-deformed, non-hypertrophied RBC whose nucleus is slightly displaced by the larger parasite forms. The young schizonts have 2 to 6 nuclei, and are crescent-shaped and found at the apex of the RBC, generally attached to its edge. Their cytoplasm is abundant, vacuolated and the nuclei though of irregular shape are clearly distinguished individually. As they develop, the schizonts extend along one of the RBC borders, keeping contact with RBC membrane and separated from its nucleus by a band of erythrocytic cytoplasm. Throughout its development, the schizont retains a curved shape, larger on the top of the RBC and narrower along the host nucleus. The number of nuclei is estimated to be around 30, though no fully mature schizonts could be observed.

Gametocytes are elongated and have roughly the same shape and position as the schizonts.

DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS

The closest species is P.golvani Chavatte & Landau, 2007 , parasite of the magpie.

This parasite is distinguished from the one in the magpie by its general shape which is thinner and more elongated. Moreover, and in contrast to P. reniai n. sp., P. golvani shows a long thin protrusion along the RBC nucleus, its young forms have few nuclei and these are arranged in two rows in the mature forms.