''Paraplasmodium'' is a subgenus of the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...

Plasmodium ''Plasmodium'' is a genus of unicellular eukaryotes that are obligate parasites of vertebrates and insects. The life cycles of ''Plasmodium'' species involve development in a blood-feeding insect host which then injects parasites into a vert ...

'' - all of which are parasitic

eukaryote Eukaryotes () are organisms whose cells have a nucleus. All animals, plants, fungi, and many unicellular organisms, are Eukaryotes. They belong to the group of organisms Eukaryota or Eukarya, which is one of the three domains of life. Bact ...

s. The subgenus was created by Telford in 1988.

Species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

in this subgenus infect

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia al ...

Species

*'' Plasmodium chiricahuae'' *''

Plasmodium mexicanum ''Plasmodium mexicanum'' is a parasite of the genus ''Plasmodium'' subgenus '' Paraplasmodium''. Like all ''Plasmodium'' species ''P. mexicanum'' has both vertebrate and insect hosts. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are reptiles. Taxon ...

'' *'' Plasmodium pifanoi''

Description

Species in the subgenus ''Paraplasmodium'' have the following characteristics: The gametocytes are large. The schizonts are medium size. Exoerythrocytic schizonts may be produced in both fixed and wandering host cells. Note: One species (''Plasmodium mexicanum'') in this genus can undergo normal sporogony in a psychodid fly ('' Lutzomyia vexatrix'').

References

Plasmodium subgenera {{plasmodium-stub