Four new coccidia (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from the Plateau zokor, Myospalax baileyi Thomas (Rodentia: Myospalacinae), a subterranean rodent from Haibei area, Qinghai Province, China

Abstract

Thirty-eight faecal samples from the Plateau zokor, Myospalax baileyi Thomas, collected in the Haibei Area, Qinghai Province, China, were examined for the presence of coccidia (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae). Seventeen of 38 faecal samples (44.7%) were found to contain coccidian oöcysts representing four new species of Eimeria Schneider, 1875, and four of 17 (23.5%) infected zokors were concurrently infected with two or three of these eimerian species. The sporulated oöcysts of Eimeria myospalacensis n. sp. are ovoidal, 9.5-17.0 × 8.0-13.0 (mean 13.0 × 10.4) μm; a polar granule is present, oöcyst residuum is absent; sporocysts are ovoidal, 4.5-7.5 × 3.0-5.0 (mean 6.3 × 4.2) μm and have both a Stieda body and residuum. Oöcysts of Eimeria fani n. sp. are ellipsoidal to cylindroidal, 12.5-16.0 × 8.0-11.0 (mean 14.6 × 9.9) μm; a polar granule is present, but micropyle and residuum are lacking; sporocysts are ovoidal, 4.5-7.5 × 3.0-5.3 (mean 6.7 × 4.4) μm; a residuum and a Steida body are present. Oöcysts of Eimeria baileyii n. sp. are ellipsoidal, 15.0-23.0 × 12.0-18.0 (mean 18.2 × 13.7) μm; a polar granule is present but oöcyst residuum is absent; sporocysts are ovoidal, 8.0-11.0 × 5.0-7.0 (mean 9.5 × 5.9) μm and have both a Stieda body and residuum. Oöcysts of Eimeria menyuanensis n. sp. are ovoidal, 12.5-21.0 × 11.0-18.0 (mean 17.1 × 14.6) μm, with a distinct micropyle c.2.5 μm wide; a polar granule is present but a residuum is absent; sporocysts are ovoidal, 8.0-12.0 × 5.0-7.0 (mean 10.2 × 6.4) μm, and have both a Stieda body and residuum.

Helminth and protozoan parasites of subterranean rodents (Chordata, Mammalia, Rodentia) of the world

“… Cao et al (2014) described four new species of Eimeria from the Plateau zokor, Eospalax baileyi , collected from Haibei area, Qinghai Province, China. The parasites include Eimeria baileyii Cao et al, 2014 , Eimeria fani Cao et al, 2014 , Eimeria menyuanensis Cao et al, 2014 , and Eimeria myospalacensis Cao et al, 2014 . In the same year, Zhao et al (2014) identified Versteria (syn.…”

“…Eimeria faniCao et al, 2014Cao et al 2014 Eimeria menyuanensisCao et al, 2014Cao et al 2014 Eimeria myospalacensisCao et al, 2014Cao et al 2014 Ransomus qinghaiensisMing et al, 2004Ming et al 2004 Versteria (syn. Taenia) mustelae Gmelin, 1790 Zhao, et al 2014Heligmonina nevoiNevo, 1971 Wertheim andNevo 1971 Isospora spalacensisCouch et al, 1993Couch et al 1993 Microcephaloides nevoi(Fair et al, 1990) Haukisalmi 2009Fair et al 1990Haukisalmi 2009 Trichuris muris (Schrank, 1788)Wertheim and Nevo 1971 …”

“…described the cestode Nomadolepis ellobiiMakarikov et al, 2010, simultaneously establishing a new genus for the tapeworm that was obtained from the small intestine of the Northern mole vole, Ellobius talpinus, collected from southwestern Siberia, Russia.Soon after,Makarikov and Tkach (2013) described Hymenolepis rymzhanovi Makarikov & Tkach, 2013 from the small intestine of the Siberian zokor, Myospalax myospalax collected from eastern Kazakhstan Cao et al (2014). described four new species of Eimeria from the Plateau zokor, Eospalax baileyi, collected from Haibei area, Qinghai Province, China.…”

“…described four new species of Eimeria from the Plateau zokor, Eospalax baileyi, collected from Haibei area, Qinghai Province, China. The parasites include Eimeria baileyiiCao et al, 2014, Eimeria fani Cao et al, 2014, Eimeria menyuanensis Cao et al, 2014, and Eimeria myospalacensis Cao et al, 2014 In the same year, Zhao et al (2014) identified Versteria (syn. Taenia) mustelae (Gmelin, 1790) using DNA sequencing of larval cysts found in the Plateau zokor, Eospalax baileyi collected from Datong County, east of Qinghai province, China.…”

Novel genotypes of Cryptosporidium and Enterocytozoon bieneusi detected in plateau zokors (Myospalax baileyi) from the Tibetan Plateau

“…Compared to some terrestrial rodents, plateau zokors are less active, and their unique geographic location and living habits make them often an ideal model for studying phenotypic and ecological adaptations ( Kang et al, 2020b ). This also leads to a low probability of exogenous anthropogenic influences and pathogen invasion in plateau zokors, and intra-population intestinal parasites may be more likely to occur to produce host-adapted genotypes ( Cao et al, 2014 ; Zhao et al, 2014 ). Therefore, we investigated the infection status of plateau zokors with Cryptosporidium spp., E. bieneusi , G. lamblia and B. hominis on the Tibetan plateau.…”