| first report of hepatozoon (apicomplexa: adeleorina) from king ratsnakes (elaphe carinata) in shanghai, with description of a new species. | hepatozoon species are the most common hemoparasites of snakes. in this study, hepatozoon parasites were examined for the first time in king rat snakes (elaphe carinata) from shanghai, china. all 10 snakes were found to be infected with hepatozoon gamonts. the gamonts were folded back in a hook-wise fashion for about 3 μm at one end. parasitemia levels ranged from 4-43 infected erythrocytes per 1,000 examined. the gamonts changed the morphology of the parasitized erythrocytes. although the gamon ... | 2015 | 26203995 |