REVISION OF CORONOEPIMERITUS WITH DESCRIPTION OF CORONOEPIMERITUS OTOENSIS N. SP. INFECTING THE ADMIRABLE GRASSHOPPER...

Herein, we reaffirm the validity of Coronoepimeritus and its junior synonym, Quadruspinospora, provide new combinations for existing species of Quadruspinospora, recognize Monospinospora n. gen. to receive Coronoepimeritus monospinus, and describe Coronoepimeritus otoensis n. sp. from the alimentary canal of the admirable grasshopper, Syrbula admirabilis (Orthoptera: Acrididae), from Nemaha County (40°45'69.49″N, 95°71'60.39″W) near Peru, Nebraska. Our specimens differ from all known species by differences in total gamont length (TL), oocyst length (OL), and oocyst spine length (OSL). Coronoepimeritus atractomorphii n. comb. is most like the new species on the basis of OL and OSL (10 μm and 33 μm, respectively, for both species), but the new species possesses gamonts whose TL is less than 60% of that reported for C. atractomorphii (average TL, 703 μm vs. 1,020 μm, respectively). Nucleotide sequences (18S) and phylogenetic analyses confirm the placement of the new species in Coronoepimeritus, and the K/Θ test (the ratio between the average distance separating 2 species-level clades and the genetic diversity of these clades) is consistent with a species distinct from the only other known sequence sample in the group, Coronoepimeritus mexicana n. comb.