Porosporidae is a family of parasitic alveolates of the phylum Apicomplexia
Taxonomy
This family has 3 genera - Pachyporospora, Porospora and Nematopsis - and 37 species.
The members of this family are distinguished from the other septate gregarines by having a digenic (two host) life cycle.
History
This taxon was created in 1899 by Labbé.[1]
Description
The species in this family are heteroxenous, meaning they live in two separate hosts during their life cycle. The two host species involved in their life cycle are a crustacean and a mollusc. The life cycle involves vegetative development in digestive tract of a decapod crustacean and sporogony in the connective tissue of a lamellibranch mollusc.
References
- ^ Labbé A (1899) Sporozoa. In Das Tierreich: Eine Zusammenstellung und Kennzeichnung der rezenten Tierformen, Schulze, F. E. & Bütschli, O. (eds.). R. Friedländer und Sohn, Berlin: Germany