Sarcocystis clethrionomyelaphis Matuschka, 1986 (Apicomplexa: Sarcocystidae) infecting the large oriental vole Eothenomys miletus (Thomas) (Cricetidae: Microtinae) and its phylogenetic relationships with other species of Sarcocystis Lankester, 1882

Abstract

Sarcocystisclethrionomyelaphis Matuschka, 1986 was first identified in skeletal muscles of 47 (75.8%) of 62 large oriental voles Eothenomys miletus (Thomas) captured between March 2012 and May 2014 in Anning Prefecture of Yunnan Province (China). Sarcocyst walls were thick and possessed villous protrusions measuring 3.5–5.5 μm in length. Beauty rat snakes Elaphetaeniura (Cope) fed sarcocysts of the species shed sporulated oöcysts measuring 13–18 × 9–13 (16 × 12) μm with a prepatent period of 16 to 17 days. Phylogenetic analysis based on 18S rRNA gene sequences revealed a close relationship between S.clethrionomyelaphis and other colubrid-transmitted species of Sarcocystis Lankester, 1882. This is the first report identifying S. clethrionomyelaphis from its natural intermediate host.