Editing Apicomplexa (section)

===Coccidians===
[[File:Toxoplasma gondii.jpg|thumb|150px|Dividing ''[[Toxoplasma gondii]]'' (Coccidia) parasites]]
{{Main|Coccidia}}
In general, coccidians are parasites of [[vertebrate]]s. Like gregarines, they are commonly parasites of the [[epithelial]] cells of the gut, but may infect other tissues.

The coccidian lifecycle involves merogony, gametogony, and sporogony. While similar to that of the gregarines it differs in [[zygote]] formation. Some trophozoites enlarge and become [[macrogamete]], whereas others divide repeatedly to form [[microgamete]]s (anisogamy). The microgametes are motile and must reach the macrogamete to fertilize it. The fertilized macrogamete forms a zygote that in its turn forms an oocyst that is normally released from the body. Syzygy, when it occurs, involves markedly anisogamous gametes. The lifecycle is typically haploid, with the only diploid stage occurring in the zygote, which is normally short-lived.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Adl |first1=Sina M. |last2=Bass |first2=David |last3=Lane |first3=Christopher E. |last4=Lukeš |first4=Julius |last5=Schoch |first5=Conrad L. |last6=Smirnov |first6=Alexey |last7=Agatha |first7=Sabine |last8=Berney |first8=Cedric |last9=Brown |first9=Matthew W. |last10=Burki |first10=Fabien |last11=Cárdenas |first11=Paco |last12=Čepička |first12=Ivan |last13=Chistyakova |first13=Lyudmila |last14=Campo |first14=Javier |last15=Dunthorn |first15=Micah |date=2019 |title=Revisions to the Classification, Nomenclature, and Diversity of Eukaryotes |journal=Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology |language=en |volume=66 |issue=1 |pages=4–119 |doi=10.1111/jeu.12691 |pmid=30257078 |pmc=6492006 |issn=1066-5234}}</ref>

The main difference between the coccidians and the gregarines is in the gamonts. In the coccidia, these are small, intracellular, and without epimerites or [[mucron]]s. In the gregarines, these are large, extracellular, and possess epimerites or mucrons. A second difference between the coccidia and the gregarines also lies in the gamonts. In the coccidians, a single gamont becomes a macrogametocyte, whereas in the gregarines, the gamonts give rise to multiple gametocytes.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Cruz-Bustos |first1=Teresa |last2=Feix |first2=Anna Sophia |last3=Ruttkowski |first3=Bärbel |last4=Joachim |first4=Anja |date=2021-10-04 |title=Sexual Development in Non-Human Parasitic Apicomplexa: Just Biology or Targets for Control? |journal=Animals |language=en |volume=11 |issue=10 |pages=2891 |doi=10.3390/ani11102891 |pmid=34679913 |pmc=8532714 |issn=2076-2615|doi-access=free }}</ref>