AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON DEVELOPMENT AND HATCHING OF THE EGGS OF ANISAKIS PHYSETERIS (NEMATODA: ASCARIDATA)
Embryonic development of the eggs of Anisakis physeteris Baylis, 1923 (Davey, 1971) from the sperm whale, Physeter catodon, was reported for the first time in this paper with some photographs. It was substantiated that the embryos developed well in different culture media such as the artificial sea water, water of the physiological saline and tap water at 27°C, but the hatched larvae in the tap water died after hatching. The eggs cultured in the artificial sea water revealed the hatching of larvae in six days after incubation at 27°C. The most favorable culture medium for the eggs of A. physeteris was the artificial sea water in which the free swimming larvae survived for a long period of time after hatching at 27°C. The hatched larvae of A. physeteris could survive for three weeks in the artificial sea water at 27°C, while those in water of the physiological saline lasted for only a few hours after hatching at the same temperature.