Species Inquirendae in the Carnivora

There are at least 483 reports of carnivore apicomplexans in the literature citing 17 genera or generic categoriesthat have not been described sufficiently or there was so little information provided by the author(s), that their validity, and sometimes even their identity is in question. These include: 2 “Apicomplexa protozoa,” 1 Besnoitia sp., 34 Coccidia-like or Coccidia spp., 135 Cryptosporidium spp., 2 Cyclospora spp., 26 Cystoisospora spp., 36 Eimeria spp., 3 Hammondia-like forms; 7 Hammondia–Neospora-like forms; 7 Hammondia–Toxoplasma-like forms; 14 Hepatozoon spp., 1 Hoareosporidium sp., 72 Isospora spp., 1 Klossia sp., 1 “oocysts,” 135 Sarcocystis spp., and 3 Toxoplasma-like forms. All are considered species inquirendae. In addition, two names, Isospora novocati of Pellérdy, 1974b and Isospora mustelae of Galli-Valerio, 1932, are considered nomen nuda, by definition. There is no record that 37/72 (51%) Caniformia genera, and all their 60 species, and 37/54 (68.5%) Feliformia genera, and all their 49 species, have any of these abbreviated identifications attached to them because most, if not all, likely were never surveyed for intestinal coccidian parasites. And, in the 52 genera that have been surveyed, the vast majority of their 177 species have not yet been looked at for coccidia.