PARASITES OF WOOD FROGS, RANA-SYLVATICA (RANIDAE), FROM ARKANSAS, WITH A DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES OF EIMERIA (APICOMPLEXA, EIMERIIDAE)

Thirteen wood frogs, Rana sylvatica LeConte, 1825, were collected in F ebruary 1994 from Izard County, Arkansas, and examined for parasites. Twelve (92%) were infected with 1 or more parasites, including 8 (62%) with Opalina sp., 3 (23%) with Myxidium serotinum Kudo and Sprague, 1 940, 5 (38%) with unidentified trematode metacercariae, 4 (31%) with B rachycoelium salamandrae (Frolich, 1789) Dujardin, 1845, 2 (15%) with Mesocestoides sp. tetrathyridia, 1 (8%) with Abbreviata sp., 1 (8%) wi th Oswaldocruzia pipiens Walton, 1929, and 1 (8%) with Desserobdella p icta (Verrill, 1872). In addition, 11 (85%) were found to harbor a pre viously unreported eimerian. Oocysts of Eimeria fitchi sp. n. were ovo idal, 21.9 x 14.3 (20.0-24.0 x 13.2-15.2) mu m, with a smooth, thin, s ingle-layered wall; shape index (length/width) 1.5 (1.3-1.7). A microp yle, oocyst residuum, and polar granule were absent. The sporocysts we re ovoidal, 10.9 x 7.4 (9.8-11.2 x 7.0-8.0) mu m; shape index 1.5 (1.3 -1.6). One end of the sporocyst was thickened slightly to form an indi stinct Stieda body, and a substieda body was absent. A sporocyst resid uum was present, 3.6 x 1.6, consisting of large, coarse granules often scattered free among sporozoites. Sporozoites were elongate, 11.1 x 1 .7 (10.4-12.0 x 1.6-1.8) in situ, each with 2 refractile bodies. Three new host records are reported for parasites of R. sylvatica.