Haemogregarine blood parasites in the lizards Podarcis bocagei (Seoane) and P. carbonelli (Pérez-Mellado) (Sauria: Lacertidae) from NW Portugal.

In Iberian and Canarian lizards, haemogregarines have been recorded infecting erythrocytes, but most of the records correspond to mature gametocytes. We analysed blood smears from 75 specimens of Podarcis bocagei (Seoane) and 33 specimens of P. carbonelli (Pérez-Mellado) from localities of north-western Portugal. We found haemogregarines in 74.7% of P. bocagei and 69.7% of P. carbonelli. Our observations show characteristics of the haemogregarines other than the morphology of the mature gametocytes. In histological sections of the liver of four hosts latent cysts with sporozoites and meronts with merozoites were detected. Both traits have been described as typical of the genera Hepatozoon Miller, 1908 and Hemolivia Petit, Landau, Baccam & Lainson, 1990. We suggest that not only P. bocagei and P. carbonelli from Portugal but other species of Iberian and Canarian lacertids might also be infected by species belonging to one or both genera.