Defretinella

Defretinella
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
(unranked):	SAR
(unranked):	Alveolata
Phylum:	Apicomplexa
Class:	Conoidasida
Order:	Protococcidiorida
Family:	Eleutheroschizonidae
Genus:	Defretinella Henneré 1966
Species
Defretinella eulaliae

Defretinella is a genus of parasitic alveolates of the phylum Apicomplexa.

Taxonomy

This genus had been placed in the family Barrouxiidae by Levine^[1] but has since been moved to the family Eleutheroschizonidae.

There is one species recognised in this genus — Defretinella eulaliae.

Description

This species infects a polychete species — the green leaf worm (Eulalia viridis).^[2]

The oocysts contain >50 bivalved sporocysts: each sporocyst in its turn contains numerous sporozoites. The sporocysts are bivalved.

References

1. Levine, N.D. (1983). "The genera Barrouxia, Defretinella, and Goussia of the coccidian family Barrouxiidae (Protozoa, Apicomplexa)". J Euk Micro. 30 (3): 542–7. doi:10.1111/j.1550-7408.1983.tb01419.x.
2. Hennere, E. (1966). "Stades evolutifs de deux coccidies parasites d'annelides polychetes: Myriosporides amphiglenae, gen. n., sp. n., parasite de Amphiglena mediterranea Claparede (Sabellidae); Defretinella eulaliae, gen. n., sp. n., parasite de Eulalia viridis Muller (Phyllododidae)". Comptes Rendus de l'Académie des Sciences, Série D. 262: 890–3.