Giovanolaia is a subgenus of the genus Plasmodium created by Corradetti et al. in 1963.[1][2] The parasites within this subgenus infect birds.
This subgenus was shown on the basis of DNA analysis to be polyphyletic. This is unsurprising – it has been a wastebasket taxon. A revision of this subgenus on a morphological basis by Landau et al. moved several of the species in this subgenus into a new subgenus Papernaia.[2]
Schizonts contain plentiful cytoplasm, are larger than the host cell nucleus and frequently displace it. They are found only in mature erythrocytes.