A New Species of Thorny-headed Worm (Acanthocephala: Neoechinorhynchus), a Parasite rom White Sucker (Catostomidae) from Oneida Lake

Abstract

This study is a result of extensive fish parasite survey work in North America with a heavy emphasis on water bodies in New York state. One objective was to assess the diversity of acanthocephalans which are also known as thorny-headed worms. My study specifically branched out of the bigger study when Dr. Reyda, other students and I encountered a new species of acanthocephalan from two localities in New York, Oneida Lake and Sandy Creek, an eastern tributary of Lake Ontario. This new species appears to be rare since it was only seen in a few white suckers out of over 150 examined in total. Permanent slides were made of the parasite which was then examined and measured using a light microscope. This made it possible to distinguish the new species from the many other species of Neoechinorhynchus in North America that parasitize fishes. This worm was distinguished from other species of Neoechinorhynchus in white sucker in its possession of an unusually large cement gland in males. Other comparisons are currently underway in the laboratory. The unique nature of this species is further supported by DNA sequence data of the large ribosomal subunit that was obtained in a separate, ongoing study. This project is still underway as further work is needed and more samples of the parasite are needed for it to be formally described as a new species. The significance of this work is to show that there are still new species of organisms waiting to be discovered throughout the United States.