Urospora (alveolate)

Urospora is a genus of apicomplexans, protists that behave as intracellular parasites. Species of this genus are monocystid gregarines, found in the body cavity or tissues of their hosts: echinoderms, annelids, nemertines and mollusks. They present lateral or frontal syzygies. Their oocysts are heteropolar, with a thin appendage at one end and a transparent conical funnel at the other end.^[2] They reproduce through anisogametes, unequal gametes, liberated through the dehiscence of gametocysts by a simple rupture. The oocysts have a well-differentiated wall known as the 'epispore', 8 sporozoites. Each oocyst has an anterior neck and a marked posterior prolongation.^[1]

Urospora contains the following species, listed next to their host and the tissue they parasitize:^[1]

• U. chiridotae (Dogiel 1906 as Cystobia) Goodrich 1925 – blood vessels of sea cucumber Chiridota laevis.
• U. echinocardii Pixell-Goodrich 1915 – coelom of sea urchins Echinocardium and Spatangus.
• U. grassei (Changeux 1961 as Cystobia) Levine 1977 – hemal sinus of sea cucumbers Holothuria tubulosa and H. stellati.
• U. hardyi Goodrich 1950 – coelom of sipunculid worm Sipunculus nudus.
• U. holothuriae (Schneider 1858 as Gregarina) Trégouboff 1918 – blood vessels, coelom and intestine of sea cucumbers Holothuria tubulosa and H. stellati.
• U. intestinalis Bogolepova 1953 – intestine of sea cucumber Cucumaria japonica.
• U. lagidis de St. Joseph 1898 – coelom of polychaete Lagis koreni.
• U. legeri Goodrich 1950 – coelom of sipunculid worm Sipunculus nudus.
• U. longicauda Mingazzini 1891 – unknown location within polychaete Cirratulus filigerus.
• U. longissima (Caullery & Mesnil 1898 as Gonospora) Schrével 1965 – coelom of polychaete Dodecaria caulleryi.
• U. muelleri (Cuénot 1891 as Syncystis) Cuénot 1892 – coelom of sea cucumber Synapta digitata.
• U. nemertis (von Kölliker 1845 as Gregarina) Schneider 1875 – intestine of ribbon worm Nemertes delineatus.
• U. neopolitana Pixell-Goodrich 1915 – coelom of sea urchin Echinocardium cordatum.
• U. ovalis Dogiel 1910 – coelom of sea urchin Echinocardium cordatum^[1] and polychaete Travisia forbesii.^[2]
• U. pulmonalis Bogolepova 1953 – gills of sea cucumber Cucumaria japonica.
• U. rhyacodrili Gabriel 1929 – seminal vesicles and coelom of oligochaetes Rhyacodrilus coccineus and Tubifex albicola.
• U. schneideri (Mingazzini 1891 as Cystobia) Levine 1977 – blood vessels and coelom of sea cucumbers Holothuria polii, H. impatiens, H. tubulosa and H. stellati.
• U. sipunculi (von Kölliker 1845 as Gregarina) Léger 1892 – coelom of sipunculid worm Sipunculus nudus.
• U. synaptae (Cuénot 1891 as Syncystis) Léger 1892 – coelom of sea cucumbers Synapta digitata, Leptosynapta inhaerens and L. galliennei.
• U. travisiae Dogiel 1910 – coelom of polychaete Travisia forbesi.
• U. tubificis Hesse 1909 – seminal vesicles and coelom of oligochaete Tubifex tubifex.