Abstract

Three Acanthocephala species were recovered and identified from three species of fish host. They are Neoechinorhynchus agilis collected from grey mullet, (Mugil cephalus), Neorhadinorhynchus macrospinosus from rabbit fish (Siganus fuscescens), and Rhadinorhynchus pristis from spotted mackerel (Scomber australasicus). All are new locality records. Scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy were used to describe the morphological characters. In addition, these three acanthocephalans were characterized genetically using a molecular approach. The nuclear ribosomal DNA region spanning the first internal transcribed spacer (ITS-1), the 5.8S gene and the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS-2) was amplified and the sizes of PCR products derived were different in length. They are 450 bp for N. agilis, 800 bp for N. macrospinosus, and 600 bp for R. pristis.

中文摘要

本研究從三種海魚腸道中分離與鑑別出三種屬於棘頭蟲動物門之蠕蟲，分別為來自烏魚之活動新棘吻蟲、臭肚魚之巨棘新長棘吻蟲以及澳洲鯖(俗稱花腹鯖)之鋸長棘吻蟲。三種棘頭蟲皆為發現地點新紀錄。同時以光學顯微術和掃描式電子顯微術解析此三種棘頭蟲之型態特徵，此外亦以分子生物技術區別三者遺傳上之差異。藉由聚合酶連鎖反應增幅其ITS-1、5.8S以及ITS-2基因片段，獲得之產物長度不同而足以清楚區別，其長度分別為：活動新棘吻蟲450 bp、巨棘新長棘吻蟲800 bp以及鋸長棘吻蟲600 bp。

Keyword: Acanthocephalans, marine fish, Neoechinorhynchus, Neorhadinorhynchus, Rhadinorhynchus.