''Gemmocystis'' is a genus of

apicomplexa The Apicomplexa (also called Apicomplexia; single: apicomplexan) are organisms of a large phylum of mainly parasitic alveolates. Most possess a unique form of organelle structure that comprises a type of non-photosynthetic plastid called an ap ...

ns. This genus is parasitic on scleractinian corals ('' Agaricia agaricites'', ''

Dendrogyra cylindrus Pillar coral (''Dendrogyra cylindrus'') is a hard coral (order Scleractinia) found in the western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. It is the only species in the monotypic genus ''Dendrogyra''. It is a digitate coral -that is, it resembles fi ...

'', '' Diploria strigosa'', ''

Meandrina meandrites ''Meandrina meandrites'', commonly known as maze coral, is a species of colonial stony coral in the family Meandrinidae. It is found primarily on outer coral reef slopes in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Description ''Meandrina meand ...

'', '' Montastraea cavernosa'', ''

Porites astreoides ''Porites astreoides'', commonly known as mustard hill coral or yellow porites, is a Colony (biology), colonial species of Scleractina, stony coral in the Family (biology), family Poritidae. It is a common species in the Caribbean Sea and wester ...

'', ''

Porites porites ''Porites porites'', commonly known as hump coral or finger coral, is a species of stony coral in the genus ''Porites''. It is found in the Caribbean Sea and western Atlantic Ocean and also along the coast of West Africa. Description ''Porites p ...

'') and is found in the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

. Very little is known about the species in this genus. ''Gemmocystis cylindrus'' was isolated from within the gastrodermal cells of the mesenterial filaments of the coral. Only the

oocyst Apicomplexans, a group of intracellular parasites, have life cycle stages that allow them to survive the wide variety of environments they are exposed to during their complex life cycle. Each stage in the life cycle of an apicomplexan organism ...

s and released

sporozoite Apicomplexans, a group of intracellular parasites, have life cycle stages that allow them to survive the wide variety of environments they are exposed to during their complex life cycle. Each stage in the life cycle of an apicomplexan organis ...

s have been described. The parasites were isolated from bleached coral but their role if any in this sign is not known.

Taxonomy

There is one species known in this genus

References

Conoidasida Apicomplexa genera {{Apicomplexa-stub