Revision of Hemoproteid Genera and Description and Redescription of Two Species of Chelonian Hemoproteid Parasites

Abstract

Pigmented hemosporidian parasites that do not exhibit erthyrocytic schizogony, and infect birds, chelonians, and squamates, have been classified in various genera over time. These classifications have reflected vertebrate hosts, insect vectors, and variations in morphology and life history observed in representative species. Side-necked turtles ( Podocnemis spp.) from the Peruvian Amazon were screened for hemoparasites and 2 species of hemosporid parasites infecting these hosts were observed. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of these new isolates, along with parasites from lizards, a snake, and a variety of Haemoproteus species from birds from both the Haemoproteus and Parahaemoproteus subgenera, strongly support the separation of the non-avian parasites into a separate genus. The name with precedent for this group is Haemocystidium Castellani and Willey 1909, and we propose that subgeneric classification of Haemocystidium and Simondia be applied to parasites of squamates and chelonians, respectively. We offer a description of Haemocystidium (Simondia) pacayae n. sp. and a redescription of Haemocystidium (Simondia) peltocephali ( Lainson and Naiff 1998 , n. comb.) Morphologically, the parasites are quite similar, with H. pacayae slightly more elongated than H. peltocephali. The discovery and identification of parasite species is urgent, especially in endangered species and wildlife inhabiting rapidly declining ecosystems such as the Amazon.

Malaria's Many Mates: Past, Present, and Future of the Systematics of the Order Haemosporida

“…Certain genera have had very complicated histories of what defined them and who belonged to them, e.g. ''Haemoproteus,'' (Pineda-Catalan et al, 2013) and, perhaps as a result, the tendency has been to use subgeneric classifications instead of generic-level ones for major groups. Corradetti et al (1963) began this practice with their definition of 4 subgenera of avian Plasmodium species.…”

“…However, as mentioned above, there are perhaps 15 or more genera in the family and sampling of these other diverse groups has already been shown to affect the topology of phylogeny of the Haemosporida and thus our understanding of the evolution of the group. A new study by Pineda-Catalan et al (2013) included parasites from Amazonian turtles, as well as a parasite that had been described from tortoises from Turkey (Orkun and G¨uven, 2012). Despite the profound ecological differences between their hosts, the parasites formed a monophyletic group that was sister to the hemoproteid parasites in lizards and a snake, but this clade was not sister to the avian hemoproteid parasites.…”

Prevalence and parasitemia of Haemogregarina sp. in Podocnemis expansa (Testudines: Podocnemididae) from the Brazilian Amazon

“…in P. expansa chelonians on a population scale in Brazil ( Table 2). The only previous records were in four animals collected in the Araguaia River, state of Goiás, Brazil (MUNDIM et al, 1994) and in 75 of 96 (78%) specimens examined in Peru (PINEDA- CATALAN et al, 2013). …”

“…There are only two reports in the literature of the occurrence of hemogregarines in P. expansa: one report in the Peruvian Amazon (PINEDA-CATALAN et al, 2013) and another in Northern Brazil (MUNDIM et al, 1994). In the current study, we assessed the prevalence and parasitemia of hemoparasites in wild P. expansa and in specimens kept in two captive facilities in the state of Tocantins, Brazil.…”

Phylogeny, Diversity, Distribution, and Host Specificity of Haemoproteus spp. (Apicomplexa: Haemosporida: Haemoproteidae) of Palaearctic Tortoises

“…Pineda‐Catalan et al. ). Therefore, it is not surprising that virtually no data are available on their pathogenicity and virulence either.…”