HORIZONTAL TRANSMISSION OF AMBLYOSPORA-DOLOSI (MICROSPORIDIA, AMBLYOSPORIDAE) TO THE COPEPOD METACYCLOPS-MENDOCINUS (WIERZEJSKI, 1892)

This study documents the involvement of a copepod intermediate host in the life cycle of Amblyospora dolosi from the neotropical mosquito Cu lex dolosus in Argentina. Meiospores of A. dolosi from the mosquito ho st were infectious per os to female adults of the copepod Metacyclops mendocinus. All developmental stages in the copepod were haplophasic ( unpaired nuclei), with sporulation producing a second type of uninucle ate spore. These spores, formed in the ovaries of M. mendocinus, were lanceolate, curved, and measured 14.3 x 3.8 mu m This study supports p revious life cycle studies which demonstrate that most if not all Ambl yospora spp. in mosquitoes require an obligate intermediate copepod ho st to complete the life cycle.