Haemoproteus
Sign in to saveHaemoproteus is a genus of alveolates that are parasitic in birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Its name is derived from Greek: haima 'blood' and Proteus, a sea god that had the power to assume various shapes. The name Haemoproteus was first used in the description of H. columbae in the blood of the pigeon Columba livia by Walther Kruse in 1890. This was also the first description of this genus. Two other genera—Halteridium and Simondia—are now considered to be synonyms of Haemoproteus.
Museum specimens
- Specimen records
- 22,381
- With media
- 145
- Family
- Plasmodiidae
- Collections
- USNM
- Recorded in
- United States
~33 min read
Encyclopedic overview
19 sectionsContents
- Taxonomy and systematics
- Evolution
- Taxonomic history
- Subgenera
- Species list
- Life cycle
- Description
- Diagnostic criteria
- Pathology
- Effect on vectors
- Host records
- Avian hosts
- Reptile hosts
- Amphibian hosts
- Hosts known to be infected but ''Haemoproteus'' species not identified
- Vectors
- Avian families affected
- Notes
- References
Haemoproteus is a genus of alveolates that are parasitic in birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Its name is derived from Greek: haima 'blood' and Proteus, a sea god that had the power to assume various shapes. The name Haemoproteus was first used in the description of H. columbae in the blood of the pigeon Columba livia by Walther Kruse in 1890. This was also the first description of this genus. Two other genera—Halteridium and Simondia—are now considered to be synonyms of Haemoproteus.
The protozoa are intracellular parasites that infect the erythrocytes. They are transmitted by blood-sucking insects including mosquitoes, biting midges (Culicoides), louse flies (Hippoboscidae) and horse-flies ("tabanids", "tabanid flies"). Infection with this genus is sometimes known as pseudomalaria because of the parasites' similarities with Plasmodium species.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Haemoproteus” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.