Intestinal Parasites in the Critically Endangered Przewalski's Gazelle (Procapra przewalskii) in China, with the Description of a New Species of Eimeria (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae)

We used a flotation technique to survey fecal samples from 27 Przewalski's gazelles (Procapra przewalskii Büchner, 1891) for intestinal parasites. Samples were collected from the Qinghai Lake region, Qinghai-Tibet plateau, China, in April 2015. We report parasites belonging to two nematode (Nematodirus, Marshallagia) genera and one apicomplexan (Eimeria) genus; one of the latter was a new species from the critically endangered Przewalski's gazelle. Sporulated oocysts of the new eimerian were spheroidal; they had a thick, outer wall without a micropyle, but with a distinct polar granule and an oocyst residuum. Oocysts measured a mean of 18.6(±0.8)×17.3(±0.9) μm in length and width, with a mean 1.1(±0.1) length/width ratio and a spheroidal oocyst residuum that had a mean width of 2.0(±0.7) μm. Sporocysts were ovoid, measuring a mean of 9.4(±0.6)×5.5(±0.5) μm in length and width, with a mean 1.7(±0.2) length/width ratio. A Stieda body and sporocyst residuum were present, but a substieda body was absent. Sporozoites each had a small anterior refractile body and a larger, posterior refractile body; a small nucleus was visible between them.