Haemoproteus (Parahaemoproteus) nucleocondensus, Križanauskienė, Asta, Iezhova, Tatjana A., Palinauskas, Vaidas, Chernetsov, Nikita & Valkiūnas, Gediminas, 2012

Križanauskienė, Asta, Iezhova, Tatjana A., Palinauskas, Vaidas, Chernetsov, Nikita & Valkiūnas, Gediminas, 2012, Haemoproteus nucleocondensus n. sp. (Haemosporida, Haemoproteidae) from a Eurasian songbird, the Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus, Zootaxa 3441, pp. 36-46 : 38-41

Haemoproteus (Parahaemoproteus) nucleocondensus n. sp.

( Figure 1 , Table 1 ).

Young gametocytes ( Figure 1 , a, b): Develop in mature erythrocytes. Earliest forms not observed, but growing gametocytes are numerous in type material. With development (size greater than erythrocyte nuclei), gametocytes closely associate with nuclei of infected erythrocytes; they do not touch envelope of erythrocytes along entire margin ( Figure 1 , b), a characteristic feature of this species’ development. Parasite nucleus small, central or subcentral ( Figure 1 , a, b) in position. Pigment granules medium size (0.5–1.0 μm), roundish or slightly oval, darkbrown or black, and frequently grouped ( Figure 1 , a). Outline even ( Figure 1 , b) or slightly wavy ( Figure 1 , a). Volutin granules not seen. Growing gametocytes do not displace erythrocyte nuclei laterally ( Figure 1 , a, b).

Macrogametocytes ( Figure 1 , c–h): Gametocytes grow along nuclei of erythrocytes, not displacing or only slightly displacing nuclei laterally. The majority of growing ( Figure 1 , c, d) and fully-grown gametocytes ( Figure 1 , g, h) are closely associated with both nucleus and envelope of erythrocytes, but advanced gametocytes, which do not touch envelope of erythrocytes along entire margin present ( Figure 1 , d), a distinctive feature of this species’ development. Growing gametocytes slightly enclose erythrocyte nuclei with their ends; do not fill erythrocytes up to their poles ( Figure 1 , c–f). Fully-grown gametocytes occupy nearly all cytoplasmic space on poles of erythrocytes (see Figure 1 , g, h and also microgametocyte in Figure 1 , l). Fully-grown gametocytes halteridial, and only slightly enclose erythrocyte nuclei with their ends and do not displace or only slightly displace them laterally ( Figure 1 , g, h). Parasite nucleus compact, small ( Table 1 ), markedly variable in shape, and central or sub-central ( Figure 1 , c–h) in position. Nucleolus not observed. Pigment granules roundish or slightly oval, dark-brown, of medium size (0.5–1 µm), randomly scattered throughout cytoplasm ( Figure 1 , d, e, h) or grouped ( Figure 1 , c, f, g). Individual granules variable in size (non-sister-size). Outline of gametocytes usually even ( Figure 1 , c, d, e, f, h), or occasionally slightly wavy ( Figure 1 , g). Cytoplasm blue, homogeneous in appearance, usually lacks visible vacuoles, and stains more intensively in the ends of gametocytes. Volutin granules not seen.

Microgametocytes ( Figure 1 , i–l): General configuration as for macrogametocytes, with main haemosporidian sexually dimorphic characters. Parasite nucleus markedly condensed and small ( Table 1 ); these 2 attributes of microgametocyte nuclei are distinctive morphological characters of this species. In the majority of fully-grown gametocytes, nuclei are of irregular shape, central or sub-central in position, do not closely associated with parasite pellicle ( Figure 1 , i–l). Area of microgametocyte nuclei is significantly less than in macrogametocytes ( Table 1 , P <0.001), a rare character for bird haemosporidian parasites.

Feature Measurements a

Feature Measurements a a All measurements are given in micrometers. Minimum and maximum values are provided, followed in parentheses by the arithmetic mean and standard deviation.

b Measurements are given according to Valkiūnas et al. (1994), except for area of macrogametocytes and their nuclei, which are original data.

c NDR = nucleus displacement ratio according to Bennett & Campbell (1972).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Gametocytes of Haemoproteus nucleocondensus sp. nov. (a-l) from the blood of Great Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus arundinaceus and Haemoproteus payevskyi (m-t) from the blood of Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus scirpaceus: a, b, i, m, q—young gametocytes; c – h, n – p—macrogametocytes; j – l, r – t—microgametocytes. Long arrows—nuclei of parasites; short arrows—unfilled spaces between gametocyte and envelope of infected erythrocyte; arrow head—pigment granules. Giemsa-stained thin blood films. Bar = 10 µm.

Tables

TABLE 1. Morphometric parameters of gametocytes and host cells of Haemoproteus payevskyi (lineage hRW 1) and Haemoproteus nucleocondensus sp. nov. (lineage hGRW 1).

Uninfected erythrocyte Length Width Area Uninfected erythrocyte nucleus	H. payevskyi (n=31)b 10.3–12.7 (11.7±0.5) 6.1–7.4 (6.7±0.3) -	H. nucleocondensus (n=21) 11.3–14.6 (13.2±0.9) 5.6–7.3 (6.6±0.4) 52.4–78.3 (70.9±5.5)
Length Width Area	5.2–6.0 (5.5±0.2) 1.8–2.6 (2.2±0.2) -	5.5–7.3 (6.0±0.4) 1.9–2.4 (2.2±0.2) 9.6–12.4 (11.2±0.8)
Macrogametocyte Infected erythrocyte Length	10.8–12.9 (11.9±0.6)	12.6–16.2 (14.5±0.8)
Width Area Infected erythrocyte nucleus	5.8–7.4 (6.7±0.2) -	5.8–7.0 (6.5±0.4) 56.6–91.8 (76.1±7.4)
Length Width Area Gametocyte	4.6–6.4 (5.2±0.2) 1.9–2.8 (2.2±0.1) -	5.8–7.3 (6.6±0.4) 2.0–2.7 (2.3±0.2) 10.7–14.4 (12.4±0.9)
Length Width Area Gametocyte nucleus	9.8–12.0 (10.5±0.4) 2.4–3.4 (2.9±0.4) 27.4–36.5(32.0±2.7)	11.9–15.1 (13.3±0.8) 1.8–2.8 (2.3±0.2) 27.7–40.6 (35.5±3.3) continued next page