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Remarkable morphological variation in the proboscis of Neorhadinorhynchus nudus (Harada, 1938) (Acanthocephala: Echinorhynchida)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 September 2018

Liang Li*
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, 050024 Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, P. R. China
Matthew Thomas Wayland
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ, UK
Hui-Xia Chen
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, 050024 Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, P. R. China
Yue Yang
Affiliation:
Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Hebei Province, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Normal University, 050024 Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, P. R. China
*
Author for correspondence: Liang Li, E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

The acanthocephalans are characterized by a retractible proboscis, armed with rows of recurved hooks, which serves as the primary organ for attachment of the adult worm to the intestinal wall of the vertebrate definitive host. Whilst there is a considerable variation in the size, shape and armature of the proboscis across the phylum, intraspecific variation is generally regarded to be minimal. Consequently, subtle differences in proboscis morphology are often used to delimit congeneric species. In this study, striking variability in proboscis morphology was observed among individuals of Neorhadinorhynchus nudus (Harada, 1938) collected from the frigate tuna Auxis thazard Lacépède (Perciformes: Scombridae) in the South China Sea. Based on the length of the proboscis, and number of hooks per longitudinal row, these specimens of N. nudus were readily grouped into three distinct morphotypes, which might be considered separate taxa under the morphospecies concept. However, analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences revealed a level of nucleotide divergence typical of an intraspecific comparison. Moreover, the three morphotypes do not represent three separate genetic lineages. The surprising, and previously undocumented level of intraspecific variation in proboscis morphology found in the present study, underscores the need to use molecular markers for delimiting acanthocephalan species.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

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