Synonyms: Acystis parasitica Labbe, 1894 pro parte; Caryophagus salamandrae (Steinhaus, 1889) Druner 1894; Coccidium salamandrae (Steinhaus 1889) Simond 1897; Cytophagus tritonis Steinhaus 1891, pro parte; Eimeria tritonis (Steinhaus 1891) Walton 1941; Karyophagus salamandrae Steinhaus 1889; Karyophagus tritonis (Steinhaus 1891) von Wasielewski 1896.

Type host: Salamandra salamandra (L., 1758) (syn. Salamandra maculata), Fire salamander.

Other hosts: None reported to date.

Type locality: EUROPE: Exact country/locality unknown.

Geographic distribution: EUROPE.

Description of oocyst: Oocyst shape: spheroidal; number of walls: 2; wall thickness: ~1; wall characteristics: outer smooth; L x W: 18-20; L/W ratio: 1.6; M: absent; OR: absent; PG: absent. Distinctive features of oocyst: none.

Description of sporocysts and sporozoite: Sporocyst shape: not given; L x W: unknown; L/W ratio: unknown; SB: unknown; SSB: unknown; PSB: unknown; SR: present; SR characteristics: unknown; SZ: comma-shaped. Distinctive features of sporocysts: none from lack of descriptive characters.

Prevalence: Unknown.

Sporulation: Unknown.

Prepatent and patent periods: Unknown.

Site of infection: Intestinal epithelial cells.

Endogenous development: According to Pellérdy (1974), “It was claimed that certain asexual stages penetrate the nucleus of the host cell deforming it to such an extent that it assumes a crescent shape and flatters (sic) closely against the schizont. There is, however, no recent evidence that such penetration takes place.” Later, von Wasielewski (1896) and Steinhaus (1889) depicted early meronts that look like those of any other known coccidium. Apparently, when these meronts grow in a host cell the N enlarges, elongates and narrows, and comes to recline in a semilunar shape near the edge of the PV (Pellérdy 1974). Meronts localize close to the host cell’s brush border; each produces 10–16 merozoites that taper toward one end. Microgametes develop around a central residuum in the microgamont.

Materials deposited:None.

Remarks: Doflein and Reichenow (1953) claimed that the oocyst wall develops prior to fertilization and that the microgametes penetrate the macrogamete through the M. This unusual feature was the basis for the “ephemeral” creation of the subgenus Orthospora (Pellérdy 1974).