Coccidian parasites (Apicomplexa) of penguins (Pygoscelis ssp.) from Livingston Island and King George Island, the Antarctic

The results of investigations on the coccidian parasites of three species of pen− guins (Pygoscelis antarctica, P. papua and P. adeliae), nesting at Livingston and King George Island (South Shetland Islands, the Antarctic) are presented. Three coccidian para− sites: Eimeria pygosceli Golemansky, 2003, Eimeria sp. and Isospora sp. were identified in faecal samples from 360 examined birds. The total prevalence of coccidian parasites was high: about 35% in all of examined penguins. No host specificity was observed. It is attrib− uted due to the close phylogenetic relations, common habitats and nesting territories, simi− lar feeding and reproductive biology of the three penguin species. In more than 20 speci− mens of investigated penguins a high intensity of oocysts in their guano was observed (80–220 oocysts in one microscopic field at magnification of 150×) an indirect indication of the negative role of the coccidian infections on penguin populations.