Coccidia (Eimeriidae) of Caprinae
(partially completed only)

Donald W. Duszynski1, Lee Couch1, and Steve J. Upton2
1Department of Biology, University of New Mexico
2Division of Biology, Kansas State University

Supported by NSF-PEET DEB 9521687

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Updated: 20 December 2000
Comments: eimeria@unm.edu (Duszynski) or coccidia@ksu.edu (Upton)


Genus Capra (Goats)

Not yet completed


Genus Naemorhedus (Goral and Serow)

  1. Eimeria capricornis Inoue, 1989
    1. Host: Naemorhedus crispus (syn. Capricornis crispus) (Japanese serow)
    2. Reference: Inoue 1989

  2. Eimeria gozaishoensis Inoue and Imura, 1989
    1. Host: Naemorhedus swinhoei (syn. Capricornis crispus swinhoei) (Formosan serow)
    2. Reference: Inoue and Imura 1989

  3. Eimeria kamoshika Inoue, 1989
    1. Host: Naemorhedus crispus (syn. Capricornis crispus) (Japanese serow)
    2. Reference: Inoue 1989

  4. Eimeria naganoensis Inoue, 1989
    1. Host: Naemorhedus crispus (syn. Capricornis crispus) (Japanese serow)
    2. Reference: Inoue 1989

  5. Eimeria nihonis Inoue, 1989
    1. Host: Naemorhedus crispus (syn. Capricornis crispus) (Japanese serow)
    2. Reference: Inoue 1989


Genus Oreamnos (Mountain goat)

  1. Eimeria ernsti Todd and O'Gara, 1968
    1. Synonym: Eimeria ernesti Todd and O'Gara, 1968 lapsus
    2. Host: Oreamnos americanus (Mountain goat)
    3. Reference: Todd and O'Gara 1968

  2. Eimeria montanaensis Todd and O'Gara, 1968
    1. Host: Oreamnos americanus (Mountain goat)
    2. Reference: Todd and O'Gara 1968

  3. Eimeria oreamni Shah and Levine, 1964
    1. Host: Oreamnos americanus (Mountain goat)
    2. Reference: Shah and Levine 1964


Genus Ovibos (Muskox)

  1. Eimeria moschati Duszynski, Samuel, and Gray, 1977
    1. Host: Ovibos moschatus (Muskox)
    2. References: Duszynski et al. 1977; Samuel and Gray 1974

  2. Eimeria oomingmakensis Duszynski, Samuel, and Gray, 1977
    1. Host: Ovibos moschatus (Muskox)
    2. References: Duszynski et al. 1977; Samuel and Gray 1974

  3. Eimeria ovibovis Duszynski, Samuel, and Gray, 1977
    1. Host: Ovibos moschatus (Muskox)
    2. References: Duszynski et al. 1977; Samuel and Gray 1974

  4. Eimeria sp. of Duszynski, Samuel, and Gray, 1977
    1. Synonym: Eimeria bakuensis Musaev, 1970
    2. Host: Ovibos moschatus (Muskox)
    3. References: Duszynski et al. 1977; Musaev 1970; Samuel and Gray 1974

  5. Eimeria sp. of Duszynski, Samuel, and Gray, 1977
    1. Synonym: Eimeria faurei (Moussu and Marotel, 1902) Martin, 1909
    2. Host: Ovibos moschatus (Muskox)
    3. References: Duszynski et al. 1977; Martin 1909; Samuel and Gray 1974

  6. Eimeria sp. of Duszynski, Samuel, and Gray, 1977
    1. Synonym: Eimeria granulosa Christensen, 1938
    2. Host: Ovibos moschatus (Muskox)
    3. References: Christensen 1938; Duszynski et al. 1977; Samuel and Gray 1974

  7. Unnamed Eimeria spp. of various authors
    1. Host: Ovibos moschatus (Muskox)
    2. References: Durrell and Bolton 1957; Samuel and Gray 1974
    3. Remarks: The unnamed species reported by Samuel and Gray (1974) were later assigned names in Duszynski et al. (1977)


Genus Ovis (Sheep)

Not yet completed


Genus Rupicapra (Chamois)

  1. Eimeria alpina Supperer and Kutzer, 1961
    1. Host: Rupicapra rupicapra (Chamois)
    2. References: Kutzer 1964; Supperer and Kutzer 1961
    3. Remarks: Kutzer (1964) was unable to transmit the parasite to sheep.

  2. Eimeria riedmuelleri Yakimoff and Matschoulsky, 1940
    1. Host: Rupicapra rupicapra (Chamois)
    2. References: Restani 1968; Yakimoff and Matschoulsky 1940
    3. Remarks: Restani (1968) was unable to transmit the parasite to a calf, goat, or lamb.

  3. Eimeria rupicaprae Galli-Valerio, 1924
    1. Host: Rupicapra rupicapra (Chamois)
    2. References: Galli-Valerio 1924; Restani 1968
    3. Remarks: Restani (1968) was unable to transmit the parasite to a calf, goat, or lamb.

  4. Eimeria (?) sp. of Desser, 1978
    1. Host: Rupicapra rupicapra (Chamois)
    2. Reference: Desser 1978
    3. Remarks: Giant meronts were found in the bile ducts of two animals which Desser (1978) postulated might be Eimeria riedmuelleri Yakimoff and Matschoulsky, 1940.

  5. Eimeria suppereri Kutzer, 1964
    1. Host: Rupicapra rupicpra (Chamois)
    2. Reference: Kutzer 1964
    3. Remarks: This species was not transmissible to sheep

  6. Eimeria yakimoffmatschoulskyi Supperer and Kutzer, 1961
    1. Synonym: Eimeria arloingi Marotel, 1905 of Yakimoff and Matschoulsky, 1940
    2. Synonym: Eimeria bohmi Supperer, 1952 of Bohm and Supperer, 1956
    3. Synonym: Eimeria yakimoff-matschoulskyi Supperer and Kutzer, 1961
    4. Host: Rupicapra rupicapra (Chamois)
    5. References: Bohm and Supperer 1956; Kutzer 1964; Restani 1968; Supperer and Kutzer 1961; Yakimoff and Matschoulsky 1940
    6. Remarks: Supperer and Kutzer (1961) were unable to transmit the coccidian to goats or sheep, and Kutzer (1964) was also unable to transmit it to sheep. However, Restani (1968) claimed to have transmitted the parasite to goat and a lamb, but was unable to infect a calf. As pointed out by Levine and Ivens (1986), no controls were used during these latter experimental transmission attempts.


Select references

Bohm, L.K. and Supperer, R. 1956. Beitrage zur Kenntnis tierischer Parasiten. Zentralblatt fur Bakteriogie. I. Abteilung, Originale, 167: 170-177.

Christensen, J.F. 1938. Occurrence of the coccidian Eimeria bukidnonensis in American cattle. Proceedings of the Helminthological Society of Washington 5: 24.

Desser, S.S. 1978. Extraintestinal development of eimeriid coccidia in pigs and chamois. Journal of Parasitology 64: 933-935.

Durrell, W.B. and Bolton, W.D. 1957. Parasitosis in a muskox. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 131: 195-196.

Duszynski, D.W., Samuel, W.M., and Gray, D.R. 1977. Three new Eimeria spp. (Protozoa, Eimeriidae) from muskoxen, Ovibos moschatus, with redescriptions of E. Faurei, E. granulosa, and E. ovina from muskoxen and from a rocky mountain bighorn sheep, Ovis canadensis. Canadian Journal of Zoology 55: 990-999.

Galli-Valerio, B. 1924. Parasitologische Untersuchungene und Beitrage sur parasiteologischen Technik. Zentralblatt fur Bakteriogie. I. Abteilung, Originale, 91: 120-125.

Inoue, I. 1989. Eimeria capricornis n. sp., E. nihonis n. sp., E. naganoensis n. sp., and E. kamoshika n. sp. (Protozoa: Eimeriidae) from the Japanese serow, Capricornis crispus. Japanese Journal of Veterinary Science 51: 163-168.

Inoue, I. and Imura, M. 1991. Eimeria gozaishoensis n. sp. from the Formosan serow (Capricornis crispus swinhoei). Journal of Wildlife Diseases 27: 214-216.

Levine, N.D. and Ivens, V. 1986. The coccidian parasites (Protozoa, Apicomplexa) of Artiodactyla. Illinois Biological Monographs no. 55. University of Illinois Press, Urbana. 265 pp.

Martin, A. 1909. Les coccidioses des animaux domestiques. B. Coccidiose intestinale du boeuf. Revue de Medecine Veterinaire (Toulouse) 34: 280-285.

Musaev, M.A. 1970. Host specificity of coccidia and some questions of their taxonomy. Izvestiya Akademii Nauk Azerbaidchanskoi SSR seriya Biologicheskiku Nauk, no. 2, 52-61.

Restani, R. 1968. Ricerche sui coccidi presenti in camosci (Rupicapra rupicapra L.) delle zona di Cortina d'Ampezzo. Parassitologia 16: 83-86.

Samuel, W.M. and Gray, D.R. 1974. Parasitic infection in muskoxen. Journal of Wildlife Management 38: 775-782.

Shah, H.L. and Levine, N.D. 1964. Eimeria oreamni sp. n. (Protozoa: Eimeriidae) from the Rocky Mountain goat Oreamnos americanus. Journal of Parasitology 50: 634-635.

Supperer, R. and Kutzer, E. 1960. Die Kokzidien von Reh, Hirsch und Gemse. Sonderdruck aus dem Jubilaums-Jahrbuch 1960/1961 des O.A.F.W. pp. 128-136.

Todd, K.S. and O'Gara, B.W. 1968. Eimeria montanaensis n. sp. and E. ernesti n. sp. (Protozoa, Eimeriidae) from the Rocky Mountain goat Oreamnos americanus. Journal of Protozoology 15: 808-810.

Yakimoff, W.L. and Matschoulsky, S.N. 1940. Die Kokzidien der Gemse (Capella s. Rupicapra rupicapra). Schweizer Archiv fur Tierheilkunde 82: 16-18.