Plasmodium is a malaria parasite composed of four species: P. vivax, P. ovale, P. falciparum, and P. malariae, each of which causes a distinct type of malaria.
They go through a digenetic life cycle.
The sexual life cycle of Plasmodium is known as sporogony, and the asexual life cycle is known as schizogony.
Sexual stage of plasmodium:
Oval-shaped merozoites pause the erythrocytic cycle inside red blood cells in order to expand in size and shape into rounder gametocytes.
Male gametocytes, also known as microgametocytes, are smaller and have a large nucleus that is distributed.
Female gametocytes (also known as big gametocytes) are larger and have a more compact nucleus.
These do not divide and instead live as intracellular parasites within the blood corpuscles of their hosts until they die or are devoured by the vectors.