• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.147-159
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• 1998

A survey of the internal parasites in 115 fishes of Ophicephalus argus was carried out in Kyungpook province during the period from January 1995 to November 1997. A species of trematode from the stomach and a species of nematode from the caeca of the fishes was discovered respectively. The trematode was identified as Azygia hwangtsinyi (Tsin, 1993) and the nematode as Pingus sinensis ($Hs\ddot{u}$, 1993). The fluke was pressed at thick of 0.1mm~0.2mm between slide glasses and fixed in 70% ethyl alcohol solution. The fluke was washed with tap water after fixation and stained with hematoxylin-carmin and mounted in balsam through routine methods. The nematode was fixed in 5% formalin solution and mounted with lactophnol or glycerine jelly. Morphology : Arygia hwantsinyi ; The fluke is elongate body with approximately parallel margins and rounded extremities in pressed preparations(Fig 1). The cuticle is unarmed. The oral sucker is ventro-subterminal in position. The ventral sucker is slightly smaller than oral sucker and positioned at 14.2% of body length from the oral sucker. The cirrus sac and genital pore is in mid-ventral line, slightly anterior to the ventral sucker. The oral sucker is succeeded by a well developed muscular pharynx. It is succeeded by a short inverted Y-shaped oesophagus. The inner wall of oesophagus is consisted of many fine folded membrane. The fine tubes of esophagus pass into the intestinal heads which are distended and presented a marked borderline between the fine tube and intestinal heads. The Intestinal heads start at level of pharynx and pass caudad in a zigzag course to end quite near caudal margin. The uterine coils occupy the intercecal area between the level of the cephalic margin of the ovary and about the level of the ventral sucker. The uterus is filled with many eggs. The testes are round or oval and placed one behind the other generally a little diagonally. The posterior testis is placed at level of 75.1% of body length. The ovary is oval, placed ahead the anterior testis. The shell gland not discernible outline is contacted with ovary ahead it. The vitelline glands are consisted of small oval vesicles. The vesicles occupy extracecal regions and between a little posterior of the ventral sucker and near caudal margin. Pingus sinensis : Female ; The cuticle is smooth and the cervical alae are well developed. The mouth opening is small, triangular, and without lips. The anterior end bears four sub-medial papillae. The oesophagus is divided into a muscular and glandular portion. The nerve ring is situated just at the junction of the muscular and glandular portions of the oesophagus. The vulva which has a prominent flap, is placed behind the middle of the body about one-third of the length of the worm from the posterior extremity. The vagina is strongly muscularised and after running anteriorly about $68{\mu}$, divides itself into two broad uterine tubes with an anterior and a posterior one. There are a few eggs in the uterine tubes. The tail is slender, straight and pointed. The ovary extends almost to the posterior extremity. Male : Male is smaller than female. The tail is pointed, curved and carrying well-developed caudal alae. A prominent muscular precloacal sucker is characteristic. The spicules are equal and short. There are four pairs of pedunculated pre-anal papillae, of which the most anterior pair are situated just at the level anterior to the muscular sucker. Two pairs of pedunculated papillae are present before the anus. There are five pairs of post-anal papillae of which the most anterior pair and the second counted from the posterior end are ventral and more marked than the ones which are situated laterally.