Avian Haemoproteidae. 19. The haemoproteids of the sunbirds (family Nectariniidae) and morphometric variation in Haemoproteus sequeirae

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Abstract
The haemoproteids of the sunbird family Nectariniidae are reviewed on the basis of material obtained from throughout the distributional range of the family. Variability in the 19 morphometric parameters used to define haemoproteid species were studied (i) over time in the same individual host; (ii) between individual hosts of the same species; (iii) between hosts of different species; and (iv) between hosts from different geographic regions. Statistical analyses indicated that the morphology of the parasites remained remarkably constant and the degree of variability noted was of the same order of magnitude for parasites within a single smear, between individual and different species of hosts, and between hosts from different regions. All parasites studied were morphologically similar and represented a single species, Haemoproteus sequeirae Tendeiro, 1947. Haemoproteus raymundi de Mello and Raimundo, 1934, is declared incertae sedis.