Pathogenic Protozoans of Grasshopper from Imphal , Manipur , India

Septate gregarines or Cephaline gregarines are a group of parasitic protozoans of Grasshopper. Eugregarines are the most common; these species inhabit the midgut though rarely pathogenic in the mid-gut, they have been reported to block the gut of the host. Those inhabiting the gastric caeca cause serious pathologies than the midgut-inhabiting species. Some of the best known genera found in Manipur are Gregarina, Phleobum, Didymophyes, Amphiplatyspora, Lepismatophila, Quadruspinospora and Quadruknobspora. The study reports the morphological details of 16species of the above genera collected from Imphal. Illustrative diagrams and photomicrographs are provided for better species identification.


INTRODUCTION
Studies on pathogenicity of the septate gregarines upon their host could not be traced before the 20 th century.Significant contributions in the field of pathogenicity began with the very beginning of the last century.Some important contributors are Laveran and Mesnil [1], Watson [2], Grasse and Caullery [3], Haldar and Chakravarty [4], Maxwell [5], Sarkar and Chakravarty [6], Janardanan and Ramachandran [7] and Haldar and Gupta [8].The nature of infection in host organisms caused by protozoans as well as their role in the dynamics of host population was studied by Lipa [9] besides faunistic aspects of investigation.Kundu and Haldar [10] studied on the effect of physical and chemical agents on the development of gametocysts of gregarines from coccinellid beetle.Temperature effect on formation, maturity and viability of sporocysts of ten cephaline gregarines had been shown by Patil et al. [11].The present communication records 16 species of seven genera (Gregarina, Phleobum, Didymophyes, Amphiplatyspora, Lepismatophila, Quadruspinospora and Quadruknobspora).

MATERIAL AND METHODS
The Adults Grasshoppers were collected from various grass fields of Manipur (24_440N, 93_580E) as explained previously [15] and stained with Heidenhain's haematoxylin [12].Gametocysts were recovered from the hind gut and placed in moist chambers (80 % relative humidity) for sporulation [13].Nomenclature for shapes used in this paper conforms to those of Clopton [14].

RESULTS
In the course of the present study 16 species belonging to 7 genera, 5 families and 1order are reported.Among these 16 species of Cephaline gregarines of which 2 are known species and 14 are new species.
The systematic study of the Cephaline gregarines of Grasshoppers are reported belonging to Phylum Apicomplexa are characterized by the distinctive "head" like section of the trophozoite containing the epimerite as its anterior end, protomerite segment between the epimerite and deutomerite and posterior most segment of the septate gregarine.It contains nucleus.During the lifecycle of the gregarines a trophozoite develops within a host cell into a schizont, Divides into a number of merozoites by schizogony.The merozoites are released by lysing the host cell, which in turn invade other cells and gametocytes are formed.Each gametocyte forms multiple gametes.The gametes fuse with another to form oocysts.The oocysts leave the host to be taken up by a new host.

CONCLUSION
Gregarines is the ubiquitous and taxonomically diverse of all parasites, infecting a wide range of invertebrate hosts, including arthropod.During the present work have been found to be widely present in Grasshoppers and are able to contribute 14 new species to science and 2 species as record from Manipur.

Name of the species Site of infection Host Locality
The systematic positions of the Conoidasidan parasites belonging to the class Conoidasida Levine, 1988, are provided.The present gregarines are accommodated into this genus in having of solitary, epimerite as small knob, cysts without ducts and smooth, barrel-shaped ellipsoidal spores, caudofrontal association and dome-shaped.In present investigation altogether 6 (six) new species were discovered but here only two species are presented: Quadruspinospora Sarkar and Chakravarty, 1969 Presence of epimerite with stumpy, digitiform processes, solitary sporadins, dehiscence of cyst by simple rupture and spherical spores with spines confirm inclusion of the gregarine under the genus Quadruspinospora Sarkar and Chakravarty, 1969.In the present work only one species had been described.Qradruknobospora Chatterjee andHaldar, 2003The characters like presence of solitary sporadins, thick-walled spherical gametocysts dehiscing by simple rupture, oval oocyst with knob like structure, epimerite having the shape of cauliflower justify the inclusion of the gregarine under the genus Quadruknobospora Chatterjee andHaldar, 2003.In course of the present investigation, only one species was discovered from the valley districts of Manipur.
Kundu and Haldar, 1984 Amphiplatyspora,Kundu and Haldar, 1984under the family Stenophoridae Léger and Duboscq, 1904.During the study on the cephaline gregarine of insect pests, one gregarine belonging to the genus Amphipltyspora was obtained named as Amphipltysporastriatafirst record from Manipur.