First Report of Eimeria callospermophili and Eimeria vilasi in the Gray-Collared Chipmunk (Neotamias cinereicollis) from North Central Arizona, USA.

Abstract

There is scant information on the coccidia of the gray-collared chipmunk (Neotamias cinereicollis). In this work, two species of Eimeria (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) infecting gray-collared chipmunks were identified. Twenty-seven gray-collared chipmunks were captured and released at Pivot Rock Canyon, Arizona, USA and their feces were examined for coccidia. Sporulated oöcysts were measured and photographed using differential interference contrast microscopy. The oöcysts of two Eimeria species were identified: E. callospermophili Henry, 1932, and E. vilasi Dorney, 1962. This is the first report of E. vilasi and E. callospermophili in gray-collared chipmunks and the first time the latter coccidian has been reported from any species of chipmunk.