Watwood S, Janovy J, Peterson E, Addison M A
School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln 68588-0118, USA.
J Parasitol. 1997 Jun;83(3):502-7.
The septate gregarine parasites of flour beetles (Tribolium spp.) include Gregarina minuta Ishii, 1914, a relatively small species in which both primite and satellite possess an obvious protomerite, and a larger species that lacks the satellite protomerite. The latter species has been placed in the genera Didymophyes and Hirmocystis by various authors, but studies reported here demonstrate that this species, herein described as Gregarina triboliorum, exhibits early pairing and produces oocyst chains, both characteristics of the genus Gregarina. The oocysts of this new species are described for the first time. In addition, experimental infections using oocyst from single gametocysts reveal that oocyst chain number is variable but is typically 1, 2, or 4. Prior experiments involving a related beetle, Tenebrio molitor, demonstrated extreme host specificity within the 4 Gregarina species parasitizing larval and adult hosts. However, G. triboliorum is not limited either stadially or specially, infecting both adults and larvae of Tribolium confusum and Tribolium castaneum.
面粉甲虫(赤拟谷盗属物种)的分隔型簇虫寄生虫包括1914年石井发现的微小簇虫,这是一个相对较小的物种,其中原虫和卫星体都具有明显的前节片,还有一个较大的物种缺乏卫星前节片。后一个物种被不同的作者归入双形簇虫属和刺孢簇虫属,但此处报告的研究表明,这个在此被描述为赤拟谷盗簇虫的物种表现出早期配对并产生卵囊链,这两个都是簇虫属的特征。首次描述了这个新物种的卵囊。此外,使用来自单个配子囊的卵囊进行的实验感染表明,卵囊链的数量是可变的,但通常为1、2或4。先前涉及相关甲虫黄粉虫的实验表明,在寄生于幼虫和成虫宿主的4种簇虫物种中存在极端的宿主特异性。然而,赤拟谷盗簇虫在发育阶段或宿主方面都没有限制,可感染杂拟谷盗和赤拟谷盗的成虫和幼虫。