Alophoixus bres

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 : 232

Alophoixus bres

Locality. – Malaysia: Johor, 2003.

Type host. – Pycnonotus barbatus (Desfontaine) ( South Africa) .

Description. – Gametocytes are all of the round type. The macrogametocytes size is 10.6 ± 1.2 × 9.4 ± 0.64 (n = 5), with a 3.8 ± 1.1 × 2.4 ± 0.2 nuclei and conspicuous nucleolus. Their blue-staining cytoplasm contains vacuoles and black corpuscles. The 22.7 ± 1.3 host cell nucleus invests 72 ± 5.6% of the 32.6 ± 2.3 circumference in two macrogametes; however, the host-cell nucleus is residual (30 and 50 long, respectively), occupying only 21% and 30% of the macrogametocyte perimeter, respectively. The microgametocytes sizes are 8.8 ± 1.3 × 4.0 ± 1.0 (n = 3), the 20.5 ± 3.9 host cell nuclei enclose 80 ± 5.6% of the microgametocyte 25.5 ± 3.17 circumference.

Remarks. – Leucocytozoon pycnonoti Bennett, Earle & Peirce, 1992 was described from Pyc. barbatus from South Africa, Leucocytozoon found in many Asian as well as African species including Alo. bres and P. xanthopygos were regarded by Bennett et al. (1992) as conspecific with Leu. pycnonoti . Valkiunas [1997 (2005)] also synonymised this species with Leu. majoris. The majority of the gametocytes are Leu. majoris -like, with over 70% of their perimeter enclosed by the host-cell, however some follow the Leu. fringillinarum pattern with <40% enclosed perimeter. Such mixed character has been observed also in Leucocytozoon infections of P. xanthopygos in Israel (Paperna & Josef, unpublished data). The ambiguity of the host-cell investment as markers for differentiating species, has been already mentioned elsewhere,