Imprudent use of MalAvi names biases the estimation of parasite diversity of avian haemosporidians

Understanding patterns of biota diversity at the different geographical scales is one of the major challenges of biogeography [1] and macroecology [2], especially for parasites, one of the most diverse groups on earth [3]. The order Haemosporida includes parasites of wildlife which are among the most studied in ecology and evolution [4,5]. In birds, haemosporidians include malaria parasites of the genus Plasmodium and related genera Haemoproteus and Leucocytozoon [6]. These parasites have been extensively studied in bird populations, mainly in Europe and North America, where authors have identified a high genetic diversity of parasites infecting wild bird species [7]. These parasite genera are an excellent study model for understanding the ecology and evolution of parasite–host interactions [7,8] and factors affecting the specificity and generalist strategies of infections.