''Plasmodium matutinum'' is a parasite of the genus ''

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 ...

'' subgenus ''

Haemamoeba ''Haemamoeba'' is a subgenus of the genus ''Plasmodium'' — all of which are parasites. The subgenus was created in 1963 by created by Corradetti ''et al.''. Species in this subgenus infect birds. __TOC__ Diagnostic features Species in the su ...

''. Like all ''Plasmodium'' species ''P. matutinum'' has both

vertebrate Vertebrates () comprise all animal taxon, taxa within the subphylum Vertebrata () (chordates with vertebral column, backbones), including all mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Vertebrates represent the overwhelming majority of the ...

and

insect Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (head, thorax and abdomen), three pairs ...

hosts. The vertebrate hosts for this parasite are

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

Taxonomy

The parasite was first described by Huff in 1937.Huff CG (1937) A new variety of ''Plasmodium relictum'' from the robin. J Parasitol 23: 400–404 For some time this species was thought to be a subspecies of ''

Plasmodium relictum ''Plasmodium relictum'' is a species in the genus '' Plasmodium,'' subgenus ''Haemamoeba''. It is a parasite, and the most common cause of malaria in birds. Like all ''Plasmodium'' species, ''P. relictum'' has both vertebrate and insect ...

''.

Hosts

This species infects the thrush nightingale (''

Luscinia luscinia The thrush nightingale (''Luscinia luscinia''), also known as the sprosser, is a small passerine bird that was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family Turdidae, but is now more generally considered to be an Old World flycatcher, Muscica ...

'').

References

lutzi Parasites of birds {{plasmodium-stub