Gregarinia

views updated

Gregarinia (subphylum Sporozoa, class Telosporea) A subclass of protozoa which live parasitically in the digestive tracts of invertebrates, apparently causing little harm to their hosts. The anterior part sometimes possesses hooks, suckers, simple filaments, or a knob for anchoring the parasite to the cells of the host. The life cycle can be completed in a single host species.