Morphological data of Calyptospora spinosa n. sp. (Apicomplexa, Calyptosporidae) parasite of Crenicichla lepidota HECKEL, 1840 (Teleostei) from Amazon river.

A new coccidian species, Calyptospora spinosa (fam. Calytosporidae) is described from liver, testis and ovary tissue of a freshwater fish, Crenicichla lepidota, from the lower Amazon river near Belém, Brazil, where it causes great mortality. Each oocyst contains four ellipsoidal sporocysts, each one surrounded by a membranous veil. Each sporocyst, containing two sporozoites, has an apical sporopodium possessing several lateral sporopodium projections. These sporocysts differ from those of the four other species of the genus Calyptospora in size and shape, in the insertion of the lateral sporopodium projections and in the identity of the host. This paper describes the morphology and ultrastructural characteristics of the oocyst and sporocyst of this coccidium and draws morphological comparisons with the other four species of the same genus.