Aggregata sagittata n. sp (Apicomplexa : Aggregatidae), a coccidian parasite from the European flying squid Todarodes sagittatus (Mollusca : Cephalopoda)

A new species of the coccidian genus Aggregata Frenzel, 1885 (Apicomplexa, Aggregatidae) is described from the digestive tract of Todarodes sagittatus (Lamarck), an ommastrephid squid that lives in temperate waters in the nor theastern Atlantic Ocean. Using light microscopy, oocysts were 225-333 mu m in length and 220-323 mu m in width. Each oocyst contained 600-1,000 sporo cysts. Sporocysts were 16-18 mu m in length and 15-17 mu m in width, with a smooth surface and thick wall. Each sporocyst contained 4-8 sporozoites ea ch with a length of 11-13 mu m. This paper presents the description of a ne w Aggregata species in a nerito-oceanic flying squid. Moreover, it extends the distribution of Aggregata to oceanic cephalopod host species. A. sagitt ata represents the third named species in the genus Aggregata in European w aters and the seventh worldwide.