plasmodium giganteum plasmodium giganteum plasmodium giganteum is a parasite of the genus plasmodium subgenus sauramoeba. as in all plasmodium species, p. giganteum has both vertebrate and insect hosts. the vertebrate hosts for this parasite are reptiles. plasmodium giganteum scientific classification domain: eukaryota clade: diaphoretickes clade: tsar clade: sar clade: alveolata phylum: apicomplexa class: aconoidasida order: haemospororida family: plasmodiidae genus: plasmodium species: p. giganteum binomial name plasmodium giganteumtheiler, 1930 taxonomy the parasite was first described by theiler in 1930. description p. giganteum blood-stage parasites are described as being 2 to 6 times as large as the host cell nucleus. the gametocytes are round and elongated. distribution p. giganteum has only been described in gbanga, liberia. hosts p. giganteum infects the rainbow lizard (agama agama), as well as agama mossambica and agama cyanogaster.