Life Cycle of Culicosporella lunata (Hazard & Savage, 1970) Weiser, 1977 (Microspora) as Revealed in the Light Microscope with a Redescription of the Genus and Species1

Abstract

ABSTRACTLight microscopy studies of Culicosporella lunata (Hazard & Savage), a parasite of the mosquito Culex pilosus (Dyar & Knab), revealed two sporogonial sequences. One sequence begins with diplokaryotic meronts that undergo repeated nuclear divisions to produce sporogonial plasmodia with nuclei in diplokaryotic arrangement. These plasmodia form rosette‐like clusters of sporoblasts during incomplete cytokinesis and, eventually, binucleate spores. These spores initiate infections in healthy larvae when they ingest spores. The second sequence begins with diplokaryotic meronts that undergo karyogamy and meiosis to form Thelohania‐like sporonts and haploid spores. Anomalies are often observed in these sporonts which result in aberrant spores, usually fewer than eight, in an accessory (pansporoblastic) membrane. Normal haploid spores are morphologically similar to those of species of Amblyospora. The genus and the type species are redefined based on new information presented here and it and the type species are placed in the family Amblyosporidae.