Five new species of coccidia (Apicomplexa : Eimeriidae) from colubrid snakes of Ecuador

Fecal samples from 11 colubrid snakes, representing 10 species, collected i n Ecuador during October 1994 were examined for coccidian parasites. Feces of 4 individuals, representing 4 host species, contained coccidian oocysts. Three species of Eimeria and 2 species of Isospora were observed and are d escribed here as new. Oocysts of both Eimeria and Isospora. were found in t he feces of a slug-eating snake, Dipsas vermiculata. Sporulated oocysts of the Eimeria sp. are spheroid to subspheroid, 16.7 by 16.6 mum (14-18 by 14- 18 mum) and those of the Isospora sp. are spheroid and 15.0 mum (13-18 mum) in diameter. Imantodes cenchoa, the common bluntheaded treesnake, was infe cted with a species of Eimeria. These sporulated oocysts are ellipsoid, 23. 3 by 16.2 mum (25-21 by 15-17 mum). Sporulated eimerian oocysts from Leptod eira annulata, the southern cat-eyed snake, are subspheroid, 22.5 by 18.8 m um (19-26 by 17-21 mum). Feces of a juvenile Imantodes lentiferus, the blun theaded vine snake, contained ovoid to ellipsoid isosporan oocysts, which m easured 21.6 by 15.0 mum (20-23 by 14-16 mum) when sporulated.