Description and taxonomic discussion of eimerian coccidia from African and Levantine geckoes

Abstract

Two new genera are proposed to accomodate new and previously described species of eimerian coccidia from reptiles which undergo endogenous development either in the bile epithelium — Choloœimoria n. gen., or in the microvillous zone of the intestinal epithelium — Acroeimeria n. gen. Endogenous development is described from 3 species, all from geckoes: C. turcicus (syn. Eimeria turcicus Upton, McAllister and Freed, 1988) from Hemidactylus turcicus in Israel; C. pachydactyli n. sp. from Pachydactylus capensisin South Africa and A. lineri (syn. Eimeria linen McAllister, Upton and Freed, 1988) from H. turcicus, Israel and H. mabouia, South Africa. Biliary epithelial cells infected by Choleœimeria become hypertrophic and are displaced to the surface of the epithelial layer. Oocysts are cyllndroid to oval, lack a stieda body and sporulate in the gall bladder. The developing endogenous stages of  Acroeimeria ,  enclosed in the microvillous border of the host cell, expand into the intestinal lumen. Oocysts are oval-spherical, lack a stieda body and sporulation is exogenous.