Type host: Lithobates catesbeianus (Shaw, 1802), American bullfrog.

Other hosts: Lithobates clamitans (Latreille In Sonnini de Manoncourt and Latreille, 1801), Green frog; Lithobates septentrionalis (Baird, 1854), Mink frog; Lithobates sylvaticus (LeConte, 1825), Wood frog.

Type locality: NORTH AMERICA: Canada: Ontario, Algonquin Park, Pee Wee Lake.

Geographic distribution: NORTH AMERICA: Canada: Ontario.

Description of oocyst: Oocyst shape: ovoidal; number of walls: 1; wall thickness: "thin"; wall characteristics: smooth; L x W: 25.1 x 19.5 (25-27 x 18-20); L/W ratio: 1.3; M: absent; OR: present; OR characteristics: spheroidal to subspheroidal, 8.3 x 7.3 (8-9 x 7-7.5), composed of a large vacuole surrounded by coarse granules; PG: present; number of PGs: 1. Distinctive features of oocyst: very thin, single-layered wall.

Description of sporocysts and sporozoite: Sporocyst shape: ovoidal; L x W: 9.9 x 6.6 (9-10 x 6-7); L/W ratio: 1.5; SB: present as small nipple-like structure at one end of sporocyst; SSB: absent; PSB: absent; SR: present; SR characteristics: spheroidal to subspheroidal body, 3.3 x 2.4 (4-5 x 2-3), composed of coarse granules between SZ; SZ: elongate, 8.6 x 2.3 (8-9 x 2-3), indistinct N lies between 2 small RBs. Distinctive features of sporocysts: none.

Prevalence: 3 of 162 Lithobates catesbeianus; 1 of 25 (4%) L. clamitans; 1 of 68 (2%) L. septentrionalis; 1 0f 9 (11%) L. sylvaticus.

Sporulation: Presumably endogenous.

Prepatent and patent periods: Unknown.

Site of infection: Unknown, but see Remarks..

Endogenous development: Unknown.

Materials deposited: None.

Remarks: This species is distinguished from E. ranarum by its larger oocysts (25 x 19.5 vs. 18– 20 x 12–16) as well as from those of E. leptodactyli (23 x 17, Fig. 20). The authors suggest that due to the method of obtaining fecal samples (gently squeezing the abdomen or giving the frog an enema with 85% saline) only moderate to heavy infections were detected, while lighter infections may have been missed. Thus, the prevalences in the frogs they examined may be higher than what they reported. Young bullfrogs, based on host size, were most frequently infected. This might be due to sporulated oocysts that are released into the water being ingested by larger invertebrates and tadpoles, the prey of young bullfrogs (Korschgen & Baskett 1963; Fulk & Whitaker 1969). Chen and Desser (1989) reported the site of infection for E. kermiti as the intestine, but oocysts were recovered from the feces and no attempt was made to examine the intestine for developing stages of E. kermiti; thus, the site of infection for this species is unknown.