microgametocyte /-gamē″təsīt/ [Gk, mikros + gamete, spouse, kytos, cell] , an enlarged merozoite that undergoes meiosis to form the mature male gamete during the sexual phase of the life cycle of certain thallophytes and sporozoa, specifically the malarial parasite Plasmodium. Microgametocytes are found in the red blood cells of a person infected with the malarial parasite, but they must be ingested by a female Anopheles mosquito to complete the maturation process and develop into microgametes.
