The 18S rRNA gene is a widely used molecular marker for haemogregarines. In recent decades, many primers more or less specific to various haemogregarine genera have been designed. This study applied five commonly used primers targeting the 18S rRNA gene of haemogregarines to blood samples from 168 individuals of nine turtle species captured in Northern Vietnam. Three haemogregarine genera, Haemogregarina, Hemolivia, and Hepatozoon, were detected. Selective specificity of primers EF/ER, HemoFN/HemoRN, and Hemo1/Hemo2 to haemogregarine genera was observed and elucidated by primer-template mismatches. In total, 13 out of 168 turtles (prevalence 7.7%) were both microscopically and PCR positive for haemogregarines. Additionally, a single Heosemys grandis turtle was PCR positive but microscopically negative. Numerous turtles carried mixed infections by various haemogregarines; a single turtle was even coinfected by haemogregarines of all three studied genera: Haemogregarina, Hemolivia, and Hepatozoon. Among the detected haemogregarines, some provided sufficient molecular and morphological data for completing their species diagnosis. Two were described as new species: Haemogregarina cyclemydis sp. nov. from Cyclemys pulchristriata and Hemolivia cruciata sp. nov. from Cuora galbinifrons, so far the first Hemolivia from Southeast Asia. Haemogregarina cuorae Chai and Chen, 1990, required a redescription with reassignment to the genus Hepatozoon Miller, 1908.

Department of Biology and Wildlife Diseases Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology University of Veterinary Sciences Brno Palackého 1946 1 Brno 612 42 Czech Republic; CEITEC Central European Institute of Technology University of Veterinary Sciences Brno Palackého 1946 1 612 42 Brno Czech Republic

Department of Biology and Wildlife Diseases Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology University of Veterinary Sciences Brno Palackého 1946 1 Brno 612 42 Czech Republic; Department of Ecology and Diseases of Game Fish and Bees Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology University of Veterinary Sciences Brno Palackého 1946 1 Brno 612 42 Czech Republic

Department of Biology and Wildlife Diseases Faculty of Veterinary Hygiene and Ecology University of Veterinary Sciences Brno Palackého 1946 1 Brno 612 42 Czech Republic; Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology Veterinary Research Institute Hudcova 296 70 Brno 621 00 Czech Republic

Department of Botany and Zoology Faculty of Science Masaryk University Kotlářská 2 611 37 Brno Czech Republic

Department of Parasitology Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources Vietnam Academy of Sciences and Technology 18 Hoang Quoc Viet St Hanoi Viet Nam

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