A survey of gregarines associated with Tenebrio molitor and Opatriodes vicinus in the central region of Saudi Arabia.

ABSTRACT

The present work recorded five species of septate gregarines in the intestine of two species of insects they were Gregarina polymorpha (Hamm.), in the gut of Tenebrio molitor (L.), percentage of infection 100%, with a density of 2-6 and G. cuneata (Stein), in the gut of T. molitor (L.), percentage of infection 100% with a density of 15-17; Hirmocystis harpali (Watson), in the mid gut of Opatriodes vicinus (Fairmaire), percentage of infection 34%, with a density of 19-28 and Leidyana sp., in the mid gut of O. vicinus percentage of infection 17%, with a density of 2-11 and Spharorynchus chabaudi percentage of infection 33% with a density of 100-180 in an infected insect. Members of genus Gregarina are considered to be coccidian and malarial organisms, however, till now gregarines cause little or no damage to their hosts.