Abstract
The flat-headed snake, Tantilla gracilis Baird and Girard is a small reptile belonging to the family Colubridae. Feces from a single T. gracilis from McCurtain County, Oklahoma, USA, was collected and examined for coccidia; it was found to be passing a new species of Caryospora. Oöcysts of Caryospora sargentae n. sp. are spheroidal to typically subspheroidal with a moderately-pitted bi-layered wall, measure (L × W) 20.7 × 19.2 µm, and have a length/width (L/W) ratio of 1.1; a micropyle and oöcyst residuum were absent but one to several small, irregular to spheroidal masses of non-refractile debris within the oocyst was present as well as a polar granule attached to the inner oöcyst wall. Sporocysts are ovoidal and measure 15.0 × 11.0 µm, L/W 1.4; a nipple-like Stieda body is present as well as a distinct rounded sub-Stieda body. The sporocyst residuum is composed of a large, dense, irregular mass of various sized granules located between and often obscuring the sporozoites. This is the third coccidian described from the flat-headed snake. In addition, we include some data on the endogenous development of the coccidian.
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We thank Drs. Scott L. Gardner and Gabor Racz (HWML) for expert curatorial assistance.
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All applicable institutional, national and international guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation provided Scientific Collecting Permit no. 1551646 to CTM.
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McAllister, C.T., Hnida, J.A. & Trauth, S.E. A new caryosporan (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from flat-headed snake, Tantilla gracilis (Reptilia: Ophidia: Colubridae), from McCurtain County, Oklahoma, USA. Syst Parasitol 99, 309–315 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11230-022-10028-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11230-022-10028-6