Coccidia (Protozoa: Eimeridae) of the Herbivorous Mole-Rat, Spalax leucodon Nordmann

SYNOPSIS. A survey of 96 herbivorous mole‐rats, Spalax leucodon Nordmann, in Lalahan district of Ankara, Turkey, revealed the presence of 6 new species of coccidia. The species found, the shape and average length‐width dimensions (in micrometers) of their oocysts, and the numbers of animals from which they were isolated were as follow: Eimeria lalahanensis sp. n., subspherical to ellipsoidal (20.3 × 12.5), from 10; Eimeria tuzdili sp. n., spherical to subspherical with radially striated oocyst wall, (20.5 × 16.5), from 3; Eimeria spalacis sp. n., ellipsoidal to cylindrical (16.3 × 9.8), from 90; Eimeria elliptica sp. n., ellipsoidal (14.3 × 10.1), from 8; Eimeria turkmenica sp. n., ellipsoidal (11.3 × 8.9), from 1; Isospora anatolicum sp. n., spherical (7.6 × 5.1), from 1 animal. The overall infection rate for 96 examined herbivorous mole‐rats was 100%.