apicomplexan life cycle apicomplexan life cycle apicomplexans, a group of intracellular parasites, have life cycle stages that allow them to survive the wide variety of environments they are exposed to during their complex life cycle. each stage in the life cycle of an apicomplexan organism is typified by a cellular variety with a distinct morphology and biochemistry. cellular structure of a typical, generalised apicomplexan: 1-polar ring, 2-conoid, 3-micronemes, 4-rhoptries, 5-nucleus, 6-nucleolus, 7-mitochondria, 8-posterior ring, 9-alveoli, 10-golgi apparatus, 11-micropore. not all apicomplexa develop all the following cellular varieties and division methods. this presentation is intended as an outline of a hypothetical generalised apicomplexan organism. methods of asexual replication