Five new species of Coccidia (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from colubrid snakes of Ecuador.
Fecal samples from 11 colubrid snakes, representing 10 species, collected in Ecuador during October 1994 were examined for coccidian parasites. Feces of 4 individuals, representing 4 host species, contained coccidian oocysts. Three species of Eimeria and 2 species of Isospora were observed and are described here as new. Oocysts of both Eimeria and Isospora were found in the feces of a slug-eating snake, Dipsas vermiculata. Sporulated oocysts of the Eimeria sp. are spheroid to subspheroid, 16.7 by 16.6 microm (14-18 by 14-18 microm) and those of the Isospora sp. are spheroid and 15.0 microm (13-18 microm) in diameter. Imantodes cenchoa, the common bluntheaded treesnake, was infected with a species of Eimeria. These sporulated oocysts are ellipsoid, 23.3 by 16.2 microm (25-21 by 15-17 microm). Sporulated eimerian oocysts from Leptodeira annulata, the southern cat-eyed snake, are subspheroid, 22.5 by 18.8 microm (19-26 by 17-21 microm). Feces of a juvenile Imantodes lentiferus, the bluntheaded vine snake, contained ovoid to ellipsoid isosporan oocysts, which measured 21.6 by 15.0 microm (20-23 by 14-16 microm) when sporulated.
Asmundsson
I M
IM
Department of Biology, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque 87131, USA. asmund@unm.edu
Upton
S J
SJ
Freed
P S
PS
D000818:Animals; D003048:Coccidiosis / Q000469:parasitology; D017812:Colubridae / Q000469:parasitology*; D004484:Ecuador; D004539:Eimeria / Q000145:classification* / Q000166:cytology; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D007549:Isospora / Q000145:classification* / Q000166:cytology