Hepatozoon langii n. sp. and Hepatozoon vacuolatus n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Adele­orina: Hepatozoidae) from the crag lizard (Sauria: Cordylidae) Pseudocordylus langi from the North Eastern Drakensberg escarpment, Eastern Free State, South Africa

Abstract

Two new haemogregarine species, Hepatozoon langii n. sp. and Hepatozoon vacuolatus n. sp., are described from the pe-ripheral blood of the high altitude crag lizard, Pseudocordylus langi, collected between October 2006 and April 2009 from the North Eastern Drakensberg, Eastern Free State. Hepatozoon langii n. sp. has maturing and mature gamonts that appear encapsulated and have narrow, curved tails. Their cytoplasm stains pinkish-purple with Giemsa, while their nuclei are pur-ple stained with stranded chromatin. Mature gamonts measure 19.1 ± 1.0 (15.4-28.1) μm long by 6.2 ± 1.1 (3.5-7.9) μm wide. Hepatozoon vacuolatus n. sp. gamonts are mostly broader at one pole than the other, have bluish-pink cytoplasm characterised by distinctive rounded and oval vacuoles, and demonstrate pink granules with Giemsa staining. Nuclei stain purple and are mainly coarsely granular. Mature gamonts measure 16.5 ± 1.0 (14.7 - 17.6) μm long by 5.9 ± 1.2 (4.0 - 7.7) μm wide. Both species parasitize erythroblasts, as well as erythrocytes and can dehaemoglobinize the cytoplasm of their host cells. Hepatozoon langii n. sp occurred in the absence of H. vacuolatus n. sp., but the latter haemogregarine always formed mixed infections with the former; no stages intermediate between the two haemogregarine types were observed.

Redescription and molecular diagnosis of Hepatozoon theileri (Laveran, 1905) (Apicomplexa: Adeleorina: Hepatozoidae), infecting Amietia quecketti (Anura: Pyxicephalidae)

“…Transmission of these protists occurs via the ingestion of a parasitised invertebrate host including mites, ticks, insects, and possibly, but doubtfully, leeches, in which, sporogony typically occurs in the haemocoel (Smith 1996, Davies and Johnston 2000, Van As et al 2013. Hepatozoon theileri (Laveran, 1905) described from a South African frog was one such species of Haemogregarina transferred by Smith (1996) to Hepatozoon.…”

Life cycle of Hepatozoon affluomaloti sp. n. (Apicomplexa: Haemogregarinidae) in crag lizards (Sauria: Cordylidae) and in culicine mosquitoes from South Africa

“…The intraerythrocytic gamonts of H. affluomaloti are larger and wider than H. langii Van As, Davies et Smit, 2013 andH. vacuolatus Van As, Davies et Smit, 2013 described in a high altitude cordylid Pseudocordylus langi (Loveridge).…”

“…Blood smears were made on clean microscope slides, air dried, fixed in absolute methanol for 1 minute and stored in dust-free boxes on site. Fixed slides were stained in the laboratory with a 9 : 1 solution of buffered Giemsa (Gurr ® Improved R66 solution) for 30 min and scanned individually for parasites using a Nikon Eclipse photomicroscope (see Van As et al 2013). Haemogregarine measurements and parasitaemia calculations were performed according to the methods in Van As et al (2013).…”

“…When compared to other lizard haemogregarines across Africa, H. affluomaloti overlaps in size with Hepatozoon mabuiae (Nicolle et Comte, 1906) in the scincid lizard, Trachylepis vittata (Oliver, 1804) from Tunisia, which measures 14-17 × 5-6 µm (see Table in Van As et al 2013). When H. affluomaloti is compared with Hepatozoon gracilis Wenyon, 1909, which was redescribed by Van As et al (2013) from another skink, Trachylepis quinquetaeniata (Lichtenstein), in the Sudan, gamonts of H. affluomaloti are much broader than those of H. gracilis, which are long and slender (18.0-22.2 × 0.9-1.4 µm); both species caused a slight degree of hypertrophy of host erythrocytes and lateral or sometimes terminal, displacement of host cell nuclei.…”

“…Haemogregarines belong to several genera, with more than 30 species of the genus Hepatozoon Miller, 1906 having been described from lizards in Africa (Van As et al 2013). Species of Hepatozoon are characterised by intraerythrocytic or intraleukocytic gamonts, but division stages are usually lacking in blood films.…”