Eimeria (Protozoa: Eimeriidae) from North American sciurids, Glaucomys sabrinus and Tamias townsendii: with a description of a new species.

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 dorneyi 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 x 25.0 (41-52 x 22-31) microns with ovoidal sporocysts, 19.0 x 10.5 (17-21 x 9-11) microns. 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 x 14.7 (17-26 x 13-16) microns with elongate ellipsoidal sporocysts, 11.6 x 5.7 (9-13 x 5-7) microns. 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.