A revised description of Haplosporidium armoricanum, parasite of Ostrea edulis L. from Galicia, northwestern Spain, with special reference to the spore-wall filaments

Haplosporidian spores from Ostrea edulis, previously described as Minchinia armoricana, were reexamined by light and electron microscopy. These spores were either free among host cells or enclosed in sporocysts. They contained two long epispore cytoplasm extensions (ECE), each possessing cytoskeletal structures corresponding to the filaments. After lysis and degradation of, the ECE, these extensions disappeared and the spores became devoid of membrane-bound extensions. However, 2 long filaments (similar to 130 mu m long) persisted that were closely attached, in opposition to the spore wall, by a bundle of 9-13 fibers each. Thus, we propose a revised description of M. armoricana (=H. armoricana) to confirm its placement in the genus Haplosporidium as H. armoricanum.