Booyse, Dirk G.Dehority, Burk A.2013-05-202013-05-202012Booyse, DG & Dehority, BA 2012, 'Protozoa and digestive tract parameters in Blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) and Black wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou), with description of Entodinium taurinus n. sp. ', European Journal of Protistology, vol. 48, no. 4, pp. 283-289.0932-4739 (print)1618-0429 (online)10.1016/j.ejop.2012.04.004http://hdl.handle.net/2263/21516Rumen contents from four blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) and six black wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou) were collected from two locations during two winter culling seasons. A total of 16 species of protozoa were found in blue wildebeest with Dasytricha ruminantium, Opisthotrichum janus and Ostracodinium gracile occurring in all four animals. In black wildebeest, 23 species of protozoa were observed with only Diplodinium bubalidis f. bubalidis and Ostracodinium damaliscus being present in all animals. In the blue wildebeest, the total number of species in an individual animal varied from 9 – 11 and in the black wildebeest, the number ranged from 4 – 14 species per animal. Concentrations of cells per ml ranged from 1110 to 5880 in the blue wildebeest and 3120 to 6240 in the black wildebeest. This study is the first report on protozoa species in the blue and black wildebeest. A new species of Entodinium is described, Entodinium taurinus n. sp., observed in the rumen contents of three blue wildebeest. Several physical parameters of the digestive tract were also measured, including distribution, pH, temperature and density of gastrointestinal contents in different sections of the total tract. In vitro gas production was estimated for rumen, cecum and colon contents.en© 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Notice : this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in European Journal of Protisology.Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in European Journal of Protistology, vol. 48, no. 4, 2012, DOI : 10.1016/j.ejop.2012.04.004Blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus)Black wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou)Connochaetes gnouConnochaetes taurinusEntodinium taurinus n. sp.Brindled gnuWhite-tailed gnuProtozoaPostprint Article