Veloxidium

Veloxidium
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
(unranked): Sar
Superphylum: Alveolata
Phylum: Apicomplexa
Levine 1970
Class: Conoidasida
Levine 1988
Subclass: Gregarinasina
Dufour 1828
Order: Archigregarinorida
Grassé & Schrével 1953
Family: Selenidioididae
Genus: Veloxidium
Species

Veloxidium leptosynaptae

The Veloxidium are a genus of parasitic protozoa in the phylum Apicomplexa. Species in this genus infect marine invertebrates.

Taxonomy

This species was described in 2012 by Wakeman and Leander.[1]

There is one species in this genus - Veloxidium leptosynaptae.

This species appears to be the nearest sister lineage to a diverse clade of marine eugregarines (lecudinids and urosporids).

Description

This species infects the sea cucumber Leptosynapta clarki.

Life cycle

The parasite infects the gastrointestinal tract and is presumably transmitted by the orofaecal route but the details of this mechanism are presently unknown.

References

  1. Wakeman KC, Leander BS (2012) Molecular phylogeny of Pacific Archigregarines (Apicomplexa), including descriptions of Veloxidium leptosynaptae n. gen., n. sp., from the sea cucumber Leptosynapta clarki (Echinodermata), and two new species of Selenidium. J Eukaryot Microbiol 59(3):232-45. doi: 10.1111/j.1550-7408.2012.00616.x
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Sunday, September 20, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.