Description of four new species of coccidia (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from brown kiwi, Apteryx mantelli, in New Zealand

Abstract

This study used morphological techniques to describe and name four new species of coccidia from the brown kiwi (Apteryx mantelli). Four distinct eimerian oocyst species were recovered that we describe as new species. The largest of these, Eimeria paraurii n. sp. measured 32.2 × 19.8 μm and is morphologically similar to gametocytes previously described histologically in colorectal polyps (Morgan et al. in Parasitol Res 111(4):1689–1699, 2012). Eimeria apteryxii n. sp. measured 23.9 × 14.9 μm and is similar to renal oocysts described histologically in brown, rowi (A. rowii) and Haast tokoeka kiwi (A. australis “Haast”) (Morgan et al. in Avian Pathol 42(2):137–146, 2013). Eimeria kiwii n. sp. measured 14.8 × 13.9 μm and resembled gametocytes described previously in kiwi intestinal epithelial cells in brown kiwi (Morgan et al. in Parasitol Res 111(4):1689–1699, 2012). Eimeria mantellii n. sp. measured 17.8 × 10.7 μm and did not appear similar to any coccidia previously described in histological studies in kiwi. These are the first species of Eimeria to be described and named from brown kiwi. Because the morphological descriptions in the present study were determined from a limited number of kiwi droppings from two geographical locations, it is likely that these represent only a portion of Eimeria species present in other populations of both brown kiwi and other Apteryx species from around New Zealand.