Meiosis and Its Implications in the Life Cycles of Amblyospora and Parathelohania (Microspora)

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Abstract
Synaptonemal complexes have been demonstrated previously in the young sporonts of certain microsporidia. Meiosis in a microsporidian is substantiated for the 1st time through the observation of chromosomes. Specifically, meiotic configurations were observed in the diplokaryotic sporonts of an undescribed species of Amblyospora Hazard and Oldacre in the mosquito Culex salinarius Coquillett. A haploid chromosome number of 7 was determined. Electron micrographs of these sporonts and those in Parathelohania Codreanu, a closely related genus affecting Anopheles mosquitoes, reveal synaptonemal complexes. In both genera, diplokaryotic sporonts give rise to 8 haploid spores. No evidence of karyogamy in the primary host was found. The existence of an alternate host as the site of syngamy is quite plausible when life cycles are considered.