Three new species of Eimeria (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from the silvery mole rat Heliophobius argenteocinereus Peters, 1846 (Rodentia: Bathyergidae) from Malawi.

Abstract

Three species of Eimeria Schneider are described from feces of the African bathyergid rodent, Heliophobius argenteocinereus, from Malawi. Oocysts of Eimeria heliophobii n. sp. are broadly ellipsoidal; 27.9 (22-31) x 22.3 (18-24.5) microm with a brownish, heavily pitted oocyst wall, and vacuolar oocyst residuum. Sporocysts are oval, 12.8 (12-14) x 8.4 (8-9) microm with Stieda and substieda bodies. Eimeria nafuko n. sp. has subspherical oocysts; 15.5 (15-16) x 12.8 (12-13) microm with a smooth, colorless oocyst wall. Sporocysts are oval, 9.2 (9-10) x 5.3 (5-6) microm, with a small Stieda body; the substieda body is not visible. Oocysts of Eimeria yamikamiae n. sp. are broadly ellipsoidal to subspherical; 20.8 (19-22) x 17.5 (15.5-19) microm, with slightly yellowish, very faintly pitted oocyst wall. The majority of oocysts contained a single spherical vesicular oocyst residuum and numerous very small granules. Sporocysts are oval, 10.7 (10-11) x 6.8. (6-7) microm, with a dome -like Stieda body and a subspherical to lentil-like substieda body. Typically, infected rodents shed oocysts of more than 1 species of Eimeria.