Description of Three New Species of Rhadinorhynchus Lühe, 1911 (Acanthocephala: Rhadinorhynchidae) from Marine Fish off the Pacific Coast of Vietnam.

BACKGROUND

Of the 43 valid species of Rhadinorhynchus Lühe, 1911, 20 species are now known from the Pacific Ocean off Australia, Japan, and Vietnam. We have already described over 50 species and higher taxa from the Pacific Ocean off Vietnam over the last 15 years.

PURPOSE

The present research is a continuation of our efforts to taxonomically map new acanthocephalan taxa, especially from Vietnam. Some of our collections in 2016 and 2017 revealed the presence of new species of the genus Rhadinorhynchus from various species of marine fish off the Pacific coast of Vietnam. We provide descriptions of these new species here.

METHODS

Standard methods of collection and examination of marine hosts, processing and illustrating of specimens, and taxonomic identification of parasites using the extensive collections of the lead author were used. Type specimens were deposited at the Harold W. Manter Lab. collection, Lincoln, Nebraska.

RESULTS

Three species Rhadinorhynchus are described from marine fish off the Vietnamese coast. Rhadinorhynchus circumspinus n. sp. with fusiform trunk, 1 field of anterior trunk spines, and anteriorly globular proboscis with up to 21 dorsoventrally differentiated hooks in 17-18 rows is described from Triacanthus biaculeatus Bloch (Triacanthidae) off Hai Phong. Rhadinorhynchus pacificus n. sp. with cylidrical trunk and proboscis with up to 25 dorso-ventrally similar hooks in 14-18 rows and trunk spines in 2 fields of dorsal, ventral and lateral spines is described from Auxis thazard (Lacepède) and Auxis rochei (Lacepède) (Scombridae) off Nha Trang. Rhadinorhynchus multispinosus n. sp. with cylindrical trunk and proboscis with up to 32 dorso-ventrally differentiated hooks in 12 rows, and many trunk spines in 2 fields of dorsal, ventral and lateral spines is described from Decapterus maruadsi (Temminck and Schlegel) (Carangidae) also off Hai Phong. Rhadinorhynchus polynemi Smales, 2014 of Australia is not the Indian species (with smallest basal hooks) as the basal hooks are largest and is now named Rhadinorhynchus australis nom. nov. (=Rhadinorhynchus polynemi Smales, 2014). Rhadinorhynchus trivandricus George and Nadakal, 1978 with smallest basal hooks and 8 pyriform cement glands is relegated to genus Indorhynchus Golvan, 1969.

CONCLUSIONS

With the description of these 3 new species, the numner of valid species of Rhadinorhynchus has now increased to 46. We include a new generic diagnosis to accommodate the increased knowledge of variability within this genus.