[A new Plasmodium species from a lemur: Plasmodium coulangesi n. sp].

The splenectomy of a female Lemur macaco macaco, showing a scanty blood infection by Haemosporidians and a Trypanosome was followed by a dramatic increase of the rate of intra-erythrocytic parasitaemia. Three species of Plasmodium where then identified. The first species was unknown; it is described in this paper and named Plasmodium coulangesi n. sp. It is characterised by--the low (6). constant number of merozoites in mature schizonts,--the disposition of the pigment, well apart from the parasitic mass to which it is linked by a tiny wisp of cytoplasm,--the normal host erythrocyte, the shape, size and colour of which are unaltered. The second species was provisionaly designated as Plasmodium sp.; it was previously seen in the same host by Garnham and Uilenberg in 1975 and designated by these authors as Plasmodium girardi Buck, Coudurier et Quesnel, 1952. Only gametocytes of the last species were found; they are similar to those of Plasmodium lemuris Huff and Hoogstraal, 1963.