''Choleoeimeria'' is a genus of alveolate parasites that infect the biliary tracts of

reptile Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates (lizards and snakes) and rhynchocephalians ( ...

s. Morphologically they are similar to the ''

Eimeria ''Eimeria'' is a genus of apicomplexan parasites that includes various species capable of causing the disease coccidiosis in animals such as cattle, poultry and smaller ruminants including sheep and goats. ''Eimeria'' species are considered to be ...

'', to whom they are closely related. The genus was described in 1989 by Paperna and Landsberg.

General features

The endogenous development of the parasite occurs in the cells of the bile epithelium. The infected host cell becomes hypertrophic and emerges above the epithelial surface. This hypertrophy coincides with a drastic depletion of the microvilli. The junction zone along with the underlying cell extends into numerous long and fine membranal out-folds.

Meront Apicomplexans, a group of intracellular parasites, have life cycle stages that allow them to survive the wide variety of environments they are exposed to during their complex life cycle. Each stage in the life cycle of an apicomplexan organism is ...

: These undergo binary fission. Microgamont: The differentiating microgamont develops an expanded multilobed body. Macrogamont: The organelles include type 1 and type 2 wall forming bodies, canaliculi and granular bodies.

Oocyte An oocyte (, ), oöcyte, or ovocyte is a female gametocyte or germ cell involved in reproduction. In other words, it is an immature ovum, or egg cell. An oocyte is produced in a female fetus in the ovary during female gametogenesis. The female ...

: The oocyst wall forms from 4 wall-membranes consolidating over the zygote plasmalemma. The oocysts possess four sporocysts each containing two sporozoites. These species possess bivalved sporocysts and lack a Stieda body.

Host-parasite relations

* ''Choleoeimeria allogamae'' - '' Agama'' species * ''Choleoeimeria allogehyrae'' - Top-end dtella (''

Gehyra australis ''Gehyra australis'', the Australian house gecko, northern dtella or top-end dtella, is a species of gecko native to northern and eastern Australia. It is also widespread in Indonesia, alongside common house geckos and Gehyra mutilata, four-claw ...

'') * ''Choleoeimeria amphisbaenae'' - red worm lizard (''

Amphisbaena alba ''Amphisbaena alba'', also known as the red worm lizard or less commonly as the white or white-bellied worm lizard, is a species of amphisbaenian in the reptilian order Squamata. Despite the large geographic range that this species covers, littl ...

'')Lainson R (2003) Some coccidial parasites of the lizard ''Amphisbaena alba'' (Reptilia: Amphisbaenia: Amphisbaenidae) Mem Inst Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro 98(7)927-936 * ''Choleoeimeria baltrocki'' - gold skink (''

Eumeces schneiderii ''Eumeces schneiderii'', commonly known as Schneider's skink or the Berber skink, is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae. The species is endemic to Central Asia, Western Asia, and North Africa. There are five recognized subspecies. Ety ...

'') * ''Choleoeimeria boulii'' - variegated dtella (''

Gehyra variegata ''Gehyra variegata'', the tree dtella, variegated dtella or varied dtella, is a species of gecko in the genus ''Gehyra ''Gehyra'' is a genus of geckos in the family ''Gekkonidae''. They are known as web-toed geckos or dtellas, and most spe ...

'') * ''Choleoeimeria calotesi'' - blue crested lizard ('' Calotes mystaceus'') * ''Choleoeimeria carinii'' - teiid lizard (''

Ameiva ameiva ''Ameiva ameiva'', also known as the giant ameiva, green ameiva, South American ground lizard, or Amazon racerunner, is a species of lizard in the family Teiidae found in Central, South America, and some Caribbean Islands. Geographic range It ...

'') Lainson R, Paperna I (1999) Some coccidia from the gall-bladder and intestine of the teiid lizard ''Ameiva ameiva ameiva'' and the gecko ''Hemidactylus mabouia'' in north Brazil. Parasite 6(2):151-162 * ''Choleoeimeria heteronotis'' - Binoe's prickly gecko (''

Heteronotia binoei ''Heteronotia binoei'', also known commonly as the Bynoe's gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to Australia. One of Australia's least habitat-specific geckos, it occurs naturally across much of the cou ...

'') * ''Choleoeimeria hirbayah'' - veiled chameleon (''

Chamaeleo calyptratus ''Chamaeleo'' is a genus of chameleons in the family Chamaeleonidae. Most species of the genus ''Chamaeleo'' are found in sub-Saharan Africa, but a few species are also present in northern Africa, southern Europe, and southern Asia east to Indi ...

'')Sloboda M, Modrý D (2006) New species of ''Choleoeimeria'' (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from the veiled chameleon, ''Chamaeleo calyptratus'' (Sauria: Chamaeleonidae), with taxonomic revision of eimerian coccidia from chameleons. Folia Parasitol (Praha) 53(2):91-97 * ''Choleoeimeria lygosomis'' - '' Lygosoma buringi'' * ''Choleoeimeria pachydactyli'' - Cape thick-toed gecko (''

Pachydactylus capensis ''Pachydactylus capensis'', also known as Cape gecko or Cape thick-toed gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae Gekkonidae (the common geckos) is the largest family of geckos, containing over 950 described species in 64 genera. ...

'') * ''Choleoeimeria riyadhae'' - sandfish (''

Scincus scincus ''Scincus scincus'', also commonly known as the sandfish skink, common sandfish or common skink, is a species of skink notable for its burrowing or swimming behaviour in sand. It is native to the Sahara Desert and the Arabian Peninsula, but is ...

'') * ''Choleoeimeria rochalimai'' - tropical house gecko (''

Hemidactylus mabouia The tropical house gecko, Afro-American house gecko or cosmopolitan house gecko (''Hemidactylus mabouia'') is a species of house gecko native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is also currently found in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean ...

'')Paperna I, Lainson R (2000) Ultrastructural study of meronts and gamonts of ''Choleoeimeria rochalimai'' (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) developing in the gall bladder of the gecko ''Hemidactylus mabouia'' from Brazil. Folia Parasitol (Praha) 47(2):91-96 * ''Choleoeimeria sadlieri'' - marble-throated skink ('' Marmorosphax tricolor'')Modrý D, Jirků M (2006) Three new species of coccidia (Apicomplexa: Eimeriorina) from the Marble-throated skink, ''Marmorosphax tricolor'' Bavay, 1869 (Reptilia: Scincidae), endemic to New Caledonia with a taxonomic revision of ''Eimeria'' spp. from scincid hosts. Parasitol. Res. 99(4):419-428 * ''Choleoeimeria sylvatica'' - blue throated rainbow skink ('' Carlia rhomboidalis'') * ''Choleoeimeria xiangmaii'' - common house gecko (''

Hemidactylus frenatus The common house gecko (''Hemidactylus frenatus'') is a gecko native to South and Southeast Asia. It is also known as the Asian house gecko, Pacific house gecko, wall gecko, house lizard, tayoto, chipkali or moon lizard. Most geckos are noctur ...

'')

References

Apicomplexa genera {{Apicomplexa-stub id:Eucoccidiorida it:Eucoccidiorida