Synonym: Eimeria ussuriensis Yakimoff & Sprinholtz-Schmidt, 1939.

Other name: Eimeria talpini Levine & Ivens, 1965 of Svanbaev (1956).

Type host: Spermophilus pygmaeus Pallas, 1778.

Other hosts: Spermophilus beldingi; S. erythrogenys; S. fulvus; S. relictus; S. undulatus.

Type locality: Europe: Ukrainia, Crimea.

Other localities: Asia: Buriatia; Kazakhstan; Russia; Extreme-Orient, Oussouri; North America: USA, California.

Description of oocyst: Oocyst shape: ovoid; wall thickness: not given; layers: 1; outer layer colour: yellowish; outer layer texture: smooth; micropyle: absent; OR: absent; PG: absent; size: 21.2 x 18.2 (18-23 x 16-22); L/W ratio: 1.2 (1.1-1.4). Distinctive features of oocyst: shape varied from round to ovoid.

Description of sporocysts and sporozoites: Sporocyst shape: not given; size: not given; SB: absent (in drawing); SSB: absent; PSB: absent; SR present; SR characteristics: is a compact mass of medium sized granules (in drawing); SR size: not given; SP: not given. Distinctive features of sporocyst: none.

Remarks: Eimeria beckeri was described from S. pygmaeus by Yakimoff & Sokoloff (1935) and Yakimoff & Sprinholtz-Schmidt (1939) named E. ussuriensis from the same host species. Machulsky (1941, 1949) described both E. beckeri and E. ussuriensis from S. undulatus but, later, E. ussuriensis was synonymised with E. beckeri by Levine & Ivens (1965), with whom we agree. Svanbaev (1956) described E. beckeri from the murid rodent Ellobius talpinus (Pallas, 1770), but Levine & Ivens (1965) renamed that species, to E. talpini. However, there is no illustration; thus, we suspect that E. talpini will become a species inquirenda.

References: Abenov (1980); Abenov & Svanbaev (1979, 1982); Levine & Ivens (1965); Machulsky (1941, 1949); Svanbaev (1956, 1962); Veluvolu & Levine (1984);Yakimoff & Sokoloff (1935); Yakimoff & Sprinholtz-Schmidt (1939); Zolotareff (1935, 1938).