Abstract
Purpose
Many passeriform birds are excellent hosts of coccidian parasites but little is known of the coccidians infecting members of the family Passerellidae, particularly from the dark-eyed junco, Junco hyemalis (Linnaeus, 1758). Here, we report from morphometric and mensural data a new species of Isospora from J. hyemalis in Arkansas, USA.
Methods
During November 2020, seven adult J. hyemalis were taken with a mist net from Polk County, Arkansas, USA, and their faecal samples examined for coccidian parasites. Samples were placed in individual vials containing aqueous potassium dichromate. They were examined for coccidia after flotation in Sheather’s sugar solution, measured, and photographed.
Results
A single J. hyemalis (14%) was found to be passing a new species of Isospora. Oöcysts of Isospora pittmani n. sp. were spheroidal to subspheroidal with a smooth bi-layered wall, measured (L × W) 24.8 × 23.8 µm, and had a length/width (L/W) ratio of 1.04; a micropyle and oöcyst residuum was absent but typically one to up to four polar granule(s) was present. Sporocysts are ovoidal to ellipsoidal and measured 15.0 × 10.0 µm, L/W 1.5; a flattened Stieda body was present as well as a barely discernible sub-Stieda body but para-Stieda bodies were absent. The sporocyst residuum was composed of various-sized granules dispersed between and across the sporozoites. A spheroidal to ellipsoidal posterior refractile body and spheroidal anterior refractile body occasionally seen, but a nucleus was not observed. Only two previous isosporans have been reported from passerellid birds and the new species can readily be distinguished from them.
Conclusion
This is the first coccidian reported from J. hyemalis and, more importantly, the first isosporan known from any member of the family Passerellidae in North America.
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1007%2Fs11686-022-00649-8/MediaObjects/11686_2022_649_Fig1_HTML.jpg)
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1007%2Fs11686-022-00649-8/MediaObjects/11686_2022_649_Fig2_HTML.png)
Similar content being viewed by others
Data Availability
The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
References
Balthazar LMC, Berto BP, Flausino W, Lopes CWG (2009) Isospora ticoticoi n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from the rufous-collared sparrow Zonotrichia capensis in South America. Acta Protozool 48:347–351
Barker FK, Burns KJ, Klicka J, Lanyon SM, Lovette IJ (2015) New insights into New World biogeography: an integrated view from the phylogeny of blackbirds, cardinals, sparrows, tanagers, warblers and allies. Auk 132:333–348. https://doi.org/10.1642/auk-14-110.1
Berto BP, Flausino W, McIntosh D, Teixeira-Filho WL, Lopes CWG (2011) Coccidia of New World passerine birds (Aves: Passeriformes): a review of Eimeria Schneider, 1875 and Isospora Schneider, 1881 (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae). Syst Parasitol 80:159–204. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11230-011-9317-8
Berto BP, McIntosh D, Lopes CWG (2014) Studies on coccidian oocysts (Apicomplexa: Eucoccidiorida). Rev Brasil Parasitol Vet 23:1–15. https://doi.org/10.1590/s1984-29612014001
Boughton DC, Boughton RB, Volk J (1938) Avian hosts of the genus Isospora (Coccidiida). Ohio J Sci 38:149–163
Bull J, Farrand J Jr (1977) The Audubon Society field guide to North America birds. Albert A. Knopf Inc., New York, p 775
Gill F, Donsker D, Rasmussen P (eds) (2022) New World sparrows, bush tanagers. IOC World Bird List (v12.1). International Ornithologist’s Union, London
Hadley PB (1910) Studies in avian coccidiosis. III. Coccidiosis in the English sparrow and other wild birds. Central Bakteriol Parasitenk Infektionskrank Hyg I. Abteil Origin 56:522–523
Peterson RT (1990) A field guide to western birds, 3rd edn. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, p 432
Peterson RT (2002) Birds of eastern and central North America, 5th edn. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, p 427
Sibley DA (2014) The Sibley guide to birds, 2nd edn. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, p 624
Soriano-Vargas E, Medina JP, Salgado-Miranda C, García-Conejo M, Galindo-Sánchez KP, Janczur MK, Berto BP, Lopes CWG (2015) Eimeria pileata n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from the rufous-capped brush finch Atlapetes pileatus Wagler (Passeriformes: Emberizidae) in Mexico. Syst Parasitol 92:261–265. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11230-015-9602-z
Soriano-Vargas E, Salgado-Miranda C, Zepeda-Velázquez AP, Medina JP, Janczur MK, González-Gómez M, Flores-Valle IT, Berto BP, Lopes CWG (2017) Eimeria atlapetesi nom. nov., a replacement name for Eimeria pileata Soriano-Vargas et al., 2015 (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae), preoccupied by Eimeria pileata Straneva and Kelley, 1979 (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae), with observations on histopathology and phylogenetic analysis. Zootaxa 4227:144–150. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4227.1.10
Templar AC, McQuistion TE, Capparella AP (2004) A new coccidian parasite, Isospora andesensis, from the common bush tanager (Chlorospingus opthalmaticus) of South America. Acta Protozool 43:369–371
Terres JK (1980) The Audubon Society encyclopedia of North American birds. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, p 1109
Wilber PG, Duszynski DW, Upton SJ, Seville RS, Corliss JO (1998) A revision of the taxonomy and nomenclature of the Eimeria spp. (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from rodents in the Tribe Marmotini (Sciuridae). Syst Parasitol 39:113–135. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1005914010087
Winkler DW, Billerman SM, Lovette IJ (2020) New world sparrows (Passerellidae), version 1.0. In: Billerman SM, Keeney BK, Rodewald PG, Schulenberg TS (eds) Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca
Acknowledgements
We thank Drs. Scott L. Gardner and Gábor R. Rácz (HWML) for expert curatorial assistance, and Bruno P. Berto (Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) for advice on passerellid coccidians. We also thank Dr. Laurence M. Hardy (OMBS) for providing gratus housing to CTM as well as laboratory space.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
This study was designed by both authors. Field collections were performed by CTM. Laboratory procedures for recovery of oöcysts were performed by CTM. Laboratory procedures for measurements, photomicrographs, and isolation of oöcysts were performed by JAH. The line drawing was prepared by CTM. The manuscript was written by both authors and subsequently revised by both authors. Both authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Ethical Approval
Ethical approval for collecting was granted to CTM per the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Scientific Collecting Permit No. 051420214, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service Permit No. MB84782C-0.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
McAllister, C.T., Hnida, J.A. A New Isospora (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from the Dark-Eyed Junco, Junco hyemalis (L.) (Passeriformes: Passerellidae), in West-Central Arkansas, USA. Acta Parasit. 68, 208–212 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11686-022-00649-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11686-022-00649-8