The Aconoidasida are a class of parasites coined by Mehlhorn et al in 1980.
Description
Organisms in this class bear a tip at one end of their outer membrane. This apical complex includes vesicles called
rhoptries and
, which open at the anterior of the cell. These secrete enzymes that allow the parasite to enter other cells. The tip is surrounded by a band of
, called the polar ring.
As the name indicates, Aconoidasida (from
Greek language: negative prefix
a- = "lacking") lack a conoid (they do have one only during the
ookinete stage) in contrast to the class
Conoidasida which have one throughout their life cycle.
See also
