Megalaima oorti (Muller) (Capitonidae)

Paperna, Ilan, Keong, Malcolm Soh Chu & May, Charlotte Yap Aye, 2008, Haemosporozoan Parasites Found In Birds In Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sarawak And Java, Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 56 (2), pp. 211-243 : 226

Megalaima oorti (Muller) (Capitonidae)

Haemoproteus xantholaemae Zargar, 1945 (Table 9)

Locality. – Malaysia: Fraser’s Hill , Jul.2003 .

Type host. – Megalaima haemacephala ( India) .

Remarks. – Four species of Haemoproteus were described from species of the genus Megalaima . The species Hae. xantholaemae conforms best with the gametocytes found in Meg. oorti . McClure et al. (1978) found no parasites in Meg. oorti . It is entirely distinct from Hae. bilobata. Fully differentiated Hae. cornuata tightly adheres to the erythrocyte nucleus, while Hae. thereicerycis, Hae. xantholaemae and the presently described species lie parallel to the host-cell nucleus or only slightly grips it. In Hae. thereicerycis, the host-cell nucleus is displaced to the erythrocyte wall, and in some, to the extreme of bulging out from the erythrocyte perimeter. In this species and in Hae. cornuata some gametocytes are distinctly distanced from the host nucleus (artefact?). The nucleus of some of the presently studied macrogametocytes is bilobated or scattered, but not mentioned in previous descriptions. The number of pigment granules is 12–18.