The life cycle of Ascogregarina taiwanensis (Apicomplexa:Lecudinidae).

A number of features, including large size of the trophozoite, host-specificity, developmental synchrony and evident migration behavior, of Ascogregarina taiwanensis make it suitable as a model for studies of parasite-host relationships. In this article, Wei June Chen describes the life cycle of As. taiwanensis; and raises some areas for future work, including the interaction between the parasite and its host, inhibition of sexual reproduction by non-natural hosts and their mutual effects during the development.