First report of Amphiplatyspora striata Kundu and Haldar , 1984 from Chondracisrosea ( Order : Orthoptera ) of Manipur , India

The present communication deals with the complete life history of a Septate Gregarine (Protozoa: Sporozoa) found in Grasshoppers. Gregarines found in the mid-gut region of Grasshoppers were collected and examined for parasites. A species belonging to the genus Amphiplatyspora was obtained from Chondracisrosea. The morphology of the gregarine and its affinities with the other genera of the family Amphiplatysporidae are discussed. The morphological details of the different stages supported with photomicrographs are also provided.


INTRODUCTION
Léger and Duboscq [1] established family Stenophoridae for those species that have solitary Sporadins cyst that dehiscence by simple rupture of the cyst wall, tongue-like epimerite and ovoid spores, not extruded in chains.Kundu [2] established a family Leidyanidae that included characters like solitary sporadins, a distinct simple knob-like epimerite and cysts that dehisced by several sporoducts, while in Kundu and Haldar [3] the epimerite was all together absent and the cysts were with prominent ectocyst that dehiscenced by simple rupture.In the genus Amphipltyspora, the gregarine was unique in having cylindrical spores with two plate like structures on both the poles, prominent longitudinal and cross striations throughout its body.
During the study on the cephaline gregarine of insect pests, one gregarine belonging to the genus Amphipltyspora was obtained.

MATERIAL AND METHODS
All materials and methods including morphology and life history, standard nomenclature and metrics of plane shapes remains the same as explained previously [4].

RESULTS
The findings are presented in (Tables 1 and 2 and Figure 1).

Trophozoite
The youngest trophozoite encountered in the smear preparation is cylindrical in shape with a large ovoidal protomerite and an enlongated deutomerite.It measures 110-411.9(255.5±87.4)µm in average.The fully grown trophozoite has a globular fusiform, rectangular, semi-lunar or sickle-shaped, hemispherical or a hat shaped protomerite.It measures 22.9-79.7 (41.9±15.8)µm × 29.7-158.9(79.1±26.2) µm.A thick straight septum seprates the protomerite from the deutomerite.The deutomerite is cylindrical flask-shaped vermiform, cylindro-conical with broadly rounded anterior and gradually tapering extremity and pitcher-shaped body.It measures 79.1-332.2(220.7±49.9)µm× 29.8-169 (89.7±26.3)µm.It's pellicle is well developed.The epicyteal striation are observed in the protomerite as well as in the deutomerite in the form of longitudinal and cross striations.The longitudinal striations converge at a point near the posterior tip of the body.The various shapes of the protomerite and the deuomerite are probably due to the presence of such strong First report of Amphiplatyspora striata Kundu and Haldar, 1984 from Chondracisrosea (Order: Orthoptera) of Manipur, India Yumnam, et al. striations in the body.The nucleus is spherical to semilunar in shape and measure 17.1-50.1 (38.7±4.87)µm in average.

Sporadin
The fully grown sporadins are milky-white in colour in living condition.The cytoplasm is filled up with fine as well as corse granules.The nucleus appears as a translucent area and is situated anywhere between the septum and the posterior end of the deutomerite.It is spherical to semi-lunar in shape.

Association
The more common caudofrontal or frontal associations are not observed.

Gametocyst
Gametocyst have been collected from the hind gut of the hosts.These are ovoidal, milky white bodies in living condition, enclosing two equal or unequal gametocytes.The cyst measures 277.7-335.4(300.7±16.1)µm × 222-279.2(254.8±15.9) µm in average.There are transparent ectocyst varying in thickness from 188.8 µm × 199.9 µm in freshly formed cyst.At about 30 hrs of development inside the moist chamber the seprating line between the gametocyst disappears.The cyst normally takes about 168 hrs to dehisce and the dehiscence is by means of a simple rupture of the cyst wall.

Spores
The spores are cylindrical in shape and are released in chains.These measure 16.6 × 7.2 µm.There are characteristic flat, plate-like thickening on both the poles of the spores which probably help in attaching these bodies in chain during their ejection.The sporozoites are arranged in a zig-zag fashion along the long axis of the spore.

DISCUSSION
In the present species the length of the trophozoite 110-411.9µm is in the range between the ealier described species by Kundu and Haldar [3].Sporadin are solitary.The fully grown trophozoite has a globular, fusiform, rectangular, semilunar or sickle-shaped, hemispherical or a hat-shaped protomerite.The deutomerite is cylindrical, flask-shaped, vermiformand cylindro-conical with broadly rounded anterior and gradually tapering posterior extremity or pitchershaped body.The epicyteal striations are prominent in the protomerite as well as in the deutomerite in the form of longitudinal and cross striations.The longitudinal striations converge at a point near the posterior tip of the body.In other morphological details like those of Sporadins, Epimerite, Protomerites, presence of satellites, structure of Gametocyts there are close similarities with the original species of Kundu and Haldar [3].Comparison of the morphological characteristics and measurements show close resemblances.The cyst development is completed within 168 hrs inside the moist chamber.Spores are cylindrical, have the same dimension as in the eailer described form and the ratio of LP: TL and WP: WD are in similar range.