Ultrastructural studies on the merogony ofschellackia cf. agamae(Lankesterellidae, Apicomplexa) from the starred lizardAgama stellio

Abstract

SUMMARY. Meront stages of Schellackia cf. agamae (Laveran and Petit, 1909) were obtained from the anterior intestine mucosal epithelium of experimentally infected Agama stellio Hasselq. and Linn., 1757. Infection was recovered 5, 7, 10 and 15 days after feeding on blood and liver containing sporozoites from naturally infected A. stellio. The parasitophorous vacuole wall consisted of one bilaminate and one single unit membranes apposed at regular intervals. Following nuclear division merozoites differentiated by exogenuous budding. The ultrastructure of the meronts, the merozoite and the merogonous process conformed in all details with that of species of Eimeria.