HERPETOMONAS ZTIPLIKA N. SP. (KINETOPLASTIDA: TRYPANOSOMATIDAE): A PARASITE OF THE BLOOD-SUCKING BITING MIDGE CULICOIDES KIBUNENSIS TOKUNAGA, 1937 (DIPTERA: CERATOPOGONIDAE)

摘要

Herein, we describe the first case of a natural infection of biting midges by a kinetoplastid protozoan. Flagellates from a female Culicoides kibunensis captured in a bird's nest were introduced into culture and characterized by light and electron microscopy. However, because the morphological data were inconclusive, the novel endosymbiont-free trypanosomatid was assigned into Herpetomonas primarily on the basis of the 18S and 5S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequences.