Type host: Notophthalmus viridescens (Rafinesque, 1820), Eastern newt.

Other hosts: None reported to date.

Type locality:NORTH AMERICA: U.S.A.: Michigan, Douglas Lake, University of Michigan Biological Station.

Geographic distribution: NORTH AMERICA: U.S.A.: Michigan.

Description of oocyst: Oocyst shape: spheroidal to subspheroidal; number of walls: 1; wall thickness: not given; wall characteristics: smooth; L x W: 34.9 x 33.1 (30-40 x 26-38); L/W ratio: 1.1; M: absent; OR: present; OR characteristics: a large, spheroidal granular structure that contains a large hyaline sphere with a mean diameter of 25; PG: absent. Distinctive features of oocyst: very large OR that seems to push the sporocysts to one end of the oocyst (line drawing); also, as the oocyst continues to age (mature) for 2 wk or more under refrigeration, it increases in size such that older oocysts were 45.9 x 43.8 (44.5-48 x 42-46).

Description of sporocysts and sporozoite: Sporocyst shape: lanceolate, pointed at both ends; L x W: 24.0 (23-26.5 x 3.8; L/W ratio: 6.3; SB: absent; SSB: absent; PSB: absent; SR: present; SR characteristics: composed of a few scattered refractile granules between SZ; SZ: also lanceolate (line drawing), 22.5 x 2 with one end of each SZ projecting past the other SZ into the opposite ends of sporocyst; RB and N not visible. Distinctive features of sporocysts: the largest L/W ratio of any species from amphibians.

Prevalence: 13 of 144 (9%) over a 2 yr period.

Sporulation: Exogenous. All oocysts were passed unsporulated and 96% became fully sporulated within 48 h.

Prepatent and patent periods: Unknown.

Site of infection: Unknown. Oocysts recovered from feces.

Endogenous development: Unknown.

Materials deposited: None.

Remarks: The oocysts of this species are quite similar to those of E. pyrrhogaster described from C. pyrrhogaster from Japan (Matubayasi 1937), especially when you compare Fig. 4 in Barrow and Hoy (1960) with Fig. 12 in Matubayasi (1937). The striking thing about both drawings is that both show a massive OR (>25) that occupies ~2/3–3/4 the volume of the oocyst, thus compressing the lanceolate-spindle shaped sporocysts towards one end, giving the appearance they are attached to the OR. The size of older (and thus larger) oocysts of E. longaspora are quite similar to those of E. pyrrhogaster (45.9 x 43.8 vs. 42.8 x 39.9, respectively) as is the size of their ORs (25 vs. 28). However, their sporocysts are quite different in width, 24 x 3.8 (L/W 6.3) vs. 22.2 x 8.2 (L/W 2.7).