Salamandra Laurenti 1768

Duszynski, Donald W., Bolek, Matthew G. & Upton, Steve J., 2007, Coccidia (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) of amphibians of the world, Zootaxa 1667 (1667), pp. 1-77 : 58-59

Host genus Salamandra Laurenti 1768

(6 spp.)

Eimeria grobbeni Rudovsky 1925 ( Fig. 48)

Synonyms: non Eimeria grobbeni of Doran 1953; non Eimeria grobbeni of Walton 1961a, b.

Type host: Salamandra atra Laurenti 1768 , Alpine salamander.

Other hosts: None reported to date.

Type locality: EUROPE: Austria .

Geographic distribution: EUROPE: Austria.

Description of sporulated oocyst: Oocyst shape: subspheroidal; wall thickness: ~1; wall characteristics: 2 layers, outer, smooth, ~2/3 of total thickness (line drawing); L x W: 10–11 x 9–10; L/W ratio: unknown; M: present, about 1.5 wide; OR, PG: both absent. Distinctive features of oocyst: presence of M.

Description of sporocyst and sporozoites: Sporocyst shape: pyriform (line drawing) to elongate-ovoidal, pointed at one end; L x W: 5–6 x 4; L/W: ~1.4; SB: present as small knob at tapered end of sporocyst; SSB, PSB: both absent; SR: rarely present; SR characteristics: a few scattered granules; SZ: crescent-shaped (line drawing) with RB at one end and N at the other. Distinctive features of sporocyst: pyriform shape.

Prevalence: Unknown.

Sporulation: Exogenous, 3–4 days at room temperature, but a few sporulated oocysts were also encountered in the intestine of infected hosts, especially the rectum.

Prepatent and patent periods: Unknown.

Site of infection: N of intestinal epithelial cells.

Endogenous stages: There is no mention of a first generation meront or where it develops. However, (later?) merozoites penetrate the host N and destroy it from within, and a PV arises in the N to surround the merozoite. The merozoite then rounds up and develops into either a small meront (4–5 wide) or a large meront (17–18 wide) and each is capable of giving rise to 20–30 merozoites that measure 10–12 x 1–1.5. Microgamonts are 5 wide and their N undergo repeated divisions producing microgametes tapered at one end; in some, a 2–3 x 1 wide vacuole is seen. About 70–90 microgametes arise around a central residuum from each microgamont. Macrogamonts are 4–5 wide and have a large karyosome. Many chromatin-rich granules gradually migrate toward the periphery. The growing macrogamete destroys the host cell N.

Pathology: In the intestine, desquamation of the epithelium and infiltration of inflammatory cellular elements in the mucosa and submucosa are seen. Heavily infected salamanders show conspicuous depigmentation of the skin, particularly on the head, cervical and abdominal regions ( Pellérdy 1974).

Material deposited: None.

Remarks: Rudovsky (1925) reported 2 small eimerians from S. atra : one he named E. grobbeni ; it had a M, but no OR; the second, unnamed species, was of identical size, had an OR and an outer wall that collapsed easily. It is likely that the latter was E. grobbeni that sporulated improperly. The coccidium from Taricha torosa (= Triturus torosus ) in California was improperly termed E. grobberi (sic) by Doran (1953). It is now E. tarichae ( Levine 1980) ( Fig. 50).

Eimeria salamandrae ( Steinhaus 1889) Dobell 1909 ( Fig. 49)

Synonyms: Acystis parasitica Labbé 1894b , pro parte; Caryophagus salamandrae ( Steinhaus 1889) Druner 1894 ; Coccidium salamandrae ( Steinhaus 1889) Simond 1897 ; Cytophagus tritonis Steinhaus 1891 , pro parte; Eimeria tritonis ( Steinhaus 1891) Walton 1941 ; Karyophagus salamandrae Steinhaus 1889 ; Karyophagus tritonis ( Steinhaus 1891) von Wasielewski 1896 .

Type host: Salamandra salamandra (L. 1758) (syn. Salamandra maculata ), Fire salamander.

Other hosts: None reported to date.

Type locality: EUROPE: Exact country/locality unknown.

Geographic distribution: EUROPE.

Description of sporulated oocyst: Oocyst shape: spheroidal; wall thickness: ~1; wall characteristics: 2 layers, outer, smooth; L x W: 18–30; L/W ratio: 1.6; M, OR, PG: all absent. Distinctive features of oocyst: none.

Description of sporocyst and sporozoites: Sporocyst shape: unknown; L x W: unknown; L/W ratio: unknown; SB, SSB, PSB: all unknown; SR: present; SR characteristics: unknown; SZ: comma-shaped; RB, N: unknown. Distinctive features of sporocyst: unknown.

Prevalence: Unknown.

Sporulation: Unknown.

Prepatent and patent periods: Unknown.

Site of infection: Intestinal epithelial cells.

Endogenous stages: According to Pellérdy (1974), “It was claimed that certain asexual stages penetrate the nucleus of the host cell deforming it to such an extent that it assumes a crescent shape and flatters (sic) closely against the schizont. There is, however, no recent evidence that such penetration takes place.” Later, von Wasielewski (1896) and Steinhaus (1889) depicted early meronts that look like those of any other known coccidium. Apparently, when these meronts grow in a host cell the N enlarges, elongates and narrows, and comes to recline in a semilunar shape near the edge of the PV ( Pellérdy 1974). Meronts localize close to the host cell’s brush border; each produces 10–16 merozoites that taper toward one end. Microgametes develop around a central residuum in the microgamont.

Pathology: Unknown.

Material deposited: None.

Remarks: Doflein and Reichenow (1953) claimed that the oocyst wall develops prior to fertilization and that the microgametes penetrate the macrogamete through the M. This unusual feature was the basis for the “ephemeral” creation of the subgenus Orthospora ( Pellérdy 1974) .