Phylum Apicomplexa Order Haemosporida Rank Genus | Class Aconoidasida Family Plasmodiidae | |
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Similar Hepatocystis, Haemosporida, Nycteribiidae, Haemoproteidae, Plasmodiidae | ||
Polychromophilus is a genus of alveolates that infects bats. Known vectors include species of Nycteribiid flies.
Contents
The type species Polychromophilus melanipherus was described by Dionisi in 1898.
Taxonomy
The genus was divided into two sungenera - Polychromophilus and Bioccala but the subgenus Bioccala was raised to genus status in 1984.
Description
Merogony occurs in the mesodermal cells of various organs before finally occurring in Kupffer cells of the liver and the reticuloendothelial cells of the lung. The meronts themselves are tiny.
Schizonts infect the lung tissues of the host. They are large and develop in a much hypertrophied host cell surrounded by a capsule and with complex granular nuclei in the older stages.
The gamonts are found in the erythrocytes.
Oocysts form on midgut of the vectors.
Phylogenetics
This genus along with Haemoproteus and Hepatocystis appears to be a sister clade to Plasmodium. It seems have evolved from the avian/saurian clade of Plasmodium.
Geographical distribution
Infections with species of this genus are widespread among insectivorous bats (Microchiroptera) in Europe. Species in this genus have also been described in Africa, Australia, Pakistan, Thailand and the United States.
Vectors
All vectors of this genus belong to the genera Basilia, Nycteribia and Penicillidia.
Host records
Polychromophilus murinus - bat fly (Nycteribia kolenatii)
Bat fly (Penicillidia fulvida) Bigot 1889
Host records
P. adami - least long fingered bat (Miniopterus minor minor)
P. corradetti - greater long fingered bat (Miniopterus inflatus)
P. melanipherus - little cave eptesicus (Eptesicus pumilus), greater wart nosed horseshoe bat (Hipposideros semoni), eastern long eared bat (Nyctophilus bifax), (Miniopterus blepotis), common bent wing bat (Miniopterus schreibersii), (Vespadelus pumilis)
P. murinus - little bent wing bat (Miniopterus australis), Daubenton's bat (Myotis daubentoni), greater mouse-eared bat (Myotis myotis)
Sundevall's roundleaf bat (Hipposideros caffer)
southeastern myotis (Myotis austroriparius)
Bechstein's bat (Myotis bechsteini)
Adam's horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus adami)
Geoffroy's horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus clivosus)
Lander's horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus landeri)