Ninox scutulata (Raffles)

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 : 235

Ninox scutulata (Raffles)

Locality. – Singapore: 2001 (Owl 2),

Type host. – Athene noctua ( Rome , Italy) .

Description. – The gametocytes, after developing along one side of the erythrocyte cell nucleus (“halteridial” sensu Bishop & Bennett, 1989), continue to grow around the nucleus and finally their distal ends merge to form a ring around the nucleus (“circumnuclear” sensu Bishop & Bennett, 1989). The gametocytes do not adjoin tightly to the nucleus and leave spaces notably around both tips of the host-cell nucleus. The extended gametocytes do not occupy all the extra-nuclear volume of the erythrocyte and do not displace the nucleus even when they are still halteridial. The macrogametocytes form the complete ring stage more frequently than microgametocytes, but none of the gametocytes form amoeboid or projecting body outlines

Remarks. – Bishop & Bennettt (1989) and later Valkuinas, [1997(2005)] regarded all the haemoproteids described from various strigid birds of diverse geographical regions which develop into circumnuclear gametocytes, to belong to the same species Hae. noctuae described by Celli & Sanfelice (1891) from Athene noctua . None of the later descriptions were made from a material from the type host. Bishop & Bennettt (1989) illustrated halterid and circumnuclear specimens with amoeboid outlines, while illustrations presented by Valkiunas [1997 (2005)] included specimens with both smooth and projecting margins. Valkiunas noted differences in the abundance of smooth and amoeboid gametocytes among host populations of different geographical locations. Gametocytes from Athene noctua from France (Brumpt collection, Museum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris) were smooth and closely resemble our observed gametocytes (Paperna, unpub. data).

Haemoproteus cf. noctuae Celli & Sanfelice 1891 ( Figs. 23, 24) (Table 14)