Two new species of Isospora Schneider 1881 (Apicomplexa : Eimeriidae) fromgekkonid hosts from Morocco

Two new species of Isospora are described from geckos from Morocco. Oocysts of Isospora altiatlantis sp. n. from the thorny-eyelidded gecko, Quedenfel dtia trachyblepharus, are subspherical to ovoidal, 28.4 (20-35) x 24.9 (19- 30) mu m with a smooth, bilayered, colourless, similar to 1.2 mu m thick oo cyst wall. A micropyle, oocyst residuum and polar granule are absent. Sporo cysts are ellipsoidal, 11.6 (10-14) x 9.4 (8-10) mu m with smooth, similar to 0.5 mu m thick sporocyst wall. A knob-like Stieda body and relatively la rge, oval, homogenous substieda body are present. Sporozoites are elongate, distinctly transversally striated. Oocysts of Isospora oudrii sp. n. from the Moroccan fan-footed gecko, Pytodactylus oudrii, are spherical, 16.5 (15 -18) x 16.4 (15-18) mu m with a smooth, bilayered, colourless, similar to 1 mu m thick oocyst wall. A micropyle, oocyst residuum and polar granule are absent. Sporocysts are ellipsoidal, 9.2 (9.0-10.0) x 6.3 (6-7) mu m with s mooth, -0.5 mu m thick sporocyst wall. A knob like Stieda body and oval sub stieda body present. Sporozoites are vermiform, lying parallel within the s porocyst. Additionally, Isospora platyurusi Finkelman et Paperna, 1995 was found to be named improperly and is therefore emended to Isospora platyuri.