RUMEN CILIATE COMPOSITION AND DIVERSITY OF JAPANESE BEEF BLACK CATTLEIN COMPARISON WITH THOSE OF HOLSTEIN-FRIESIAN CATTLE

The composition of ciliate protozoa in the rumen of 30 Japanese beef b lack cattle (Bos taurus taurus) fed in Yoron Island, Kagoshima, was co mpared with that of 125 Holstein-Friesian cattle (Bos taurus taurus) f ed in Hokkaido. Thirteen genera including 44 species with 32 formae de tected from Japanese beef black cattle and 15 genera including 48 spec ies with 25 formae from Holstein-Friesian cattle were identified. Thir ty-six species with 19 formae were common to both hosts. A new species was recognized from Japanese beef black cattle and named Entodinium y unnense n. sp. This new species was classified into such four formae a s yunnense n.f., spinonucleatum n.f., acutonucleatum n.f. and spinolob um n.f. A new forma of Entodinium bifidum having only one caudal spine was also recognized from Japanese beef black cattle and named monospi nosum n.f. The average ciliate density in Japanese beef black cattle, 18.7 X 10(4)/ml, was lower than 40.3 x 10(4)/ml in Holstein-Friesian c attle. The average number of ciliate species per head in Japanese beef black cattle, 14.4 was also lower than 17.8 in Holstein-Friesian catt le. The average value of diversity index was 1.789 in Japanese beef bl ack cattle and 1.718 in Holstein-Friesian cattle. Both incidence and c omposition ratio of Entodinium rectangulatum and E. ovinum were signif icantly higher in Japanese beef black cattle than in Holstein-Friesian cattle. On the other hand, Charonina ventriculi, E. caudatum, E. rost ratum, E. parvum, E. bursa, Metadinium affine and Ostracodinium mammos um showed a reverse relation.