The ultrastructural study of Nosema artemiae (Codreanu, 1957) (Microsporidia: Nosematidae)

Ultrastructure of rnicrosporidium Nosema artemiae from the solar saltern located on the Southern Ukraine was studied. The parasite infects the musculature of brine shrimp Artemia salina (L.). All developmental stages of the parasite are diplokaryotic. Merogony occurs through binary division of the tetranucleate merogonial plasmodium. Sporogony is disporoblastic. Unfixed spores are broadly oval measuring 3.0 +/- 0.2 (2.7-3.5) x 4.9 +/- 0.3 (4.5-5.4) mum. The layered exospore includes a coarse-grained basal layer, and an external coat resembling a double membrane. The polar filament is slightly anisofilar, making 13-16 coils (9-12 + 4). The polaroplast is composed of narrow anterior lamellae and posterior wide lamellae, tapered at the peripheral area. The obtained new data permits the elucidate of features which were incompletely characterized in the previous reports.