Table 1 Key to families of haemosporidian parasites

1 (4)

Merogony takes place in blood cells (Fig. 1c–f)

2 (3)

Malarial pigment (hemozoin) is present in blood stages (Fig. 1a–c)

…………………………………………… Plasmodiidae^a

3 (2)

Malarial pigment (hemozoin) is absent from blood stages (Fig. 1d–f)

…………………………………………… Garniidae^b

4 (1)

Merogony (Fig. 1c–f) does not take place in blood cells. Only gametocytes (Fig. 1g–i) present in blood cells

5 (6)

Malarial pigment (hemozoin) is present in blood stages (Fig. 1a, b, g)

…………………………………………… Haemoproteidae^c

6 (5)

Malarial pigment (hemozoin) is absent from blood stages (Fig. 1h, i)

…………………………………………… Leucocytozoidae^d