Eimeria dericksoni Roudabush, 1937 (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from the Pallid Spiny Softshell, Apalone spinifera pallida (Reptilia: Testudines: Trionychidae): Initial Report from Oklahoma and a Summary of the Coccidia from North American Softshell Turtles

Abstract

The pallid spiny softshell, Apalone spinifera pallida (Webb, 1962) is a large turtle that ranges from southern Arkansas and westcentral Oklahoma south to the eastern coast of Texas (Powell et al. 2016). In Arkansas, A. s. pallida occurs primarily in the Gulf Coastal Plain of the extreme southwestern part of the state (Trauth et al. 2004), and in Oklahoma, it is found in the southern one-third of the state in the Red River drainage (Sievert and Sievert 2011). It prefers sites with sandy or soft substrates such as rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds where it feeds on a variety of invertebrates (crayfish, insects, mollusks, earthworms) and vertebrates (fish, amphibians), and even carrion.