Parasitology, Harold W. Manter Laboratory of
Date of this Version
6-1997
Abstract
From 1990 to 1991, 11 northern flying squirrels, Glaucomys sabrinus, and 30 Townsend's chipmunks, Tamias townsendii, were live-trapped, marked, and released in MacDonald Forest, Benton Co., Oregon and their feces at each capture examined for the presence of coccidian parasites. Two eimerians were found in G. sabrinus: Eimeria doreyi and a second species we describe here as new. One species, Eimeria vilasi, was identified from T. townsendii. Sporulated oocysts of the new eimerian are strongly ellipsoidal, pointed at 1 end, and are 47.2 × 25.0 (41-52 × 22-31) μm with ovoidal sporocysts, 19.0 × 10.5 (17-21 × 9-11) μm. A micropyle and oocyst residuum are absent, but, occasionally, a polar granule is present in the oocyst. In the sporocysts, Stieda and substieda bodies are present, as is a membrane-bound residuum. Sporulated oocysts of E. dorneyi are uniformly ellipsoidal, 23.0 × 14.7 (17-26 × 13-16) μm with elongate ellipsoidal sporocysts, 11.6 × 5.7 (9-13 × 5-7) μm. A micropyle and oocyst residuum are absent, but 1 polar granule is present. A Stieda body is present, but sub- and parastieda bodies are absent. The sporocyst residuum is composed of granules in a compact mass. Here we provide phototype (hapantotype) specimens archived in a nationally accredited museum and a line drawing (cartoon) to supplement the one provided by Soon and Dorney because their drawing did not show the sporocyst residuum given in the written description.
Comments
Published in the Journal of Parasitology (June 1997) 83(3): 467-470. Copyright 1997, the American Society of Parasitologists. Used by permission.