Gonocephalum pusillum (Fabricius, 1791)

Nazimov, Serhii, 2024, Gregarines of mass species of darkling beetles (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) of Ukraine, Ecologica Montenegrina 73, pp. 26-38 : 31-32

Hosts: Gonocephalum pusillum (Fabricius, 1791) .

Habitat: intestine.

A number of trophozoites and gamonts similar to Sphaerorhynchus hamoni were found in several specimens of G. rusticum . However, they may belong to a completely new, not yet described species.

Description: The epimerite is long, thin, and has a specific papilla at its end. The pedicel of the epimerite narrows towards its apical end. Protomerite is small spherical. Deutomerite elongated, wormlike. The nucleus is ellipsoidal and contains 1 large caryosome. Morphological traits of gamonts are presented in Table 2.

Extensiveness and intensity of infestation: The average extensiveness of G. pusillum infestation by this species of gregarine was 18.2%. The maximum total number of gregarine gamonts of this species in the body of one individual G. pusillum was 8.

Literature records: Morphometric traits of this species are described by Schneider (1886) and Théodoridès (1961). The species is known from Akis punctata .

General distribution: France, Corsica ( Tuzet & Théodoridès 1951), Iran ( Théodoridès 1961).