The coccidians of the family Calyptosporidae are parasites of the tissue and organs of fish and aquatic invertebrates, in particular in the tropical region. In contrast with other apicomplexans of the suborder Eimeriorina, the diversity and ecology of the species of the genus Calyptospora have been poorly investigated, resulting in a lacuna that restricts the understanding of the distribution and prevalence of this group of eukaryote microparasites in the Amazon region. In the present study, the integrated comparative analysis of morphological characteristics, histological and structural traits, and the sequences of a fragment of the 18S rRNA gene, provides support for the identification of a new species of Calyptospora, found parasitizing the hepatic tissue of the piscivorous blue peacock bass, Cichla piquiti, captured in the reservoir of the Estreito hydroelectric dam on the middle Tocantins River in northern Brazil. This new species was named Calyptospora paranaidji n. sp.

Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are small molecular weight proteins involved in acquisition of tolerance to drought, salinity, high temperature, cold, and freezing stress in many plants. Previous studies revealed a cDNA sequence coding for a 10 kDa atypical LEA protein, named MeLEA3, predicted to be located into mitochondria with potential role in salt stress response of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz). Here we aimed to produce the recombinant MeLEA3 protein by heterologous expression in Escherichia coli and evaluate the tolerance of bacteria expressing this protein under abiotic stress. Our result revealed that the recombinant MeLEA3 protein conferred a protective function against heat and salt stress in bacterial cells. Also, the recombinant MeLEA3 protein showed in vitro chaperone activity by protection of NdeI restriction enzyme activity under heat stress.

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Kudoa ajurutellus n. sp. (Multivalvulida: Kudoidae) is described as a parasite of the Bressou catfish, Aspistor quadriscutis (Siluriformes) collected at Ajuruteua beach, northeastern Pará, Brazil. The new species is described based on the morphology of the spores and the sequence of the 18S rDNA. This parasite was found only in the skeletal muscular tissue of fish hosts. In the apical view, the spores were pseudo-quadrangular in shape, with rounded borders, and four symmetrical capsules. The spores are 6.63±0.53 μm in length and 8.16±0.75 μm in width. The polar capsules are piriform, 3.45±0.30 μm in length and 1.87±0.15 μm in width. The phylogenetic analysis based on the sequence of the 18S rDNA gene indicated that the new species is clearly distinct from all other Kudoa species, and that the degree of differentiation is constant with the existence of a new species of the genus Kudoa. This is the first marine Kudoa species recorded in northeastern of the State of Pará.

Ninety‐seven specimens of spotfin hatchetfish, Thoracocharax stellatus, an ornamental freshwater species from the Amazon basin, were captured in the basin of the Guamá River in the municipality of Belém, in northern Brazil, and analysed for coccidiosis infection. Overall, 26 of the specimens were infected by apicomplexan parasites of the genus Goussia, with unsporulated forms being found in the gastric epithelium and sporulated forms in the intestinal lumen. The spheroid oocysts (mean diameter: 13.2 ± 1.7 μm) have four elliptical sporocysts. A partial sequence of the SSU rDNA of the new species was obtained, which contained 1,121 base pairs, with 43.8% guanine + cytosine (G + C), and the bases distributed as follows: A = 28.1%, C = 18.3%, G = 25.5% and T = 28.1%. The combined analysis of the morphometric and phylogenetic evidence confirmed that the specimens represented the genus Goussia and were allocated to a new species, Goussia guamaensis n. sp., which is described here.