PILEOCEPHALUS SERICORNII SP-N, A NEW SPECIES OF SEPTATE GREGARINE (APICOMPLEXA, SPOROZOEA) FROM LESIODERMA SERICORNE (COLEOPTERA, TENEBRIONIDAE)

An eugregarine parasite belonging to the genus Pileocephalus, P. seric ornii sp. n., is described from the Indian subcontinent. The trophozoi te has a lance or coma-shaped (fresh) epimerite (n = 30; length = 75.1 mu m, SE +/-4.83, CV% = 35.22; width = 22.6 mu m, SE +/- 1.57, CV% = 38.14); fixed and stained (n = 30; length = 74.8 mu-m, SE +/- 4.9, CV% = 35.9; width = 22.1 mu m, SE +/- 1.6, CV% = 39.9); solitary (fresh) sporadins (n = 30; length = 66.7 mu m, SE +/- 4.0, CV% = 33.1; width = 19.1 mu m, SE +/- 1.3, CV% = 36.9); fixed and stained (n = 30; length = 66.5 mu m, SE +/- 4.0, CV% = 33.2; width = 18.8 mu m, SE +/- 1.4, C V% = 41.0), spherical gametocyst (n = 35; length = 60.88 mu m, SE +/- 0.56, CV% = 5.4; width = 56.32 mu m, SE +/- 0.58, CV% = 5.1), and bico nical spores (n = 145; length 9.2 mu m, SE +/- 0.02, CV% = 1.84; width = 6.05 mu m, SE +/- 0.05, CV% = 5.4). The ratio of LP:TL and WP:WD is 1:6.3 and 1:1.4, respectively.