抄録
Determinations of the total and methylmercury levels were carried out on muscle and midgut from three species of whelks, Buccinum tenuissimum (13 individuals), Buccinum striatissimum (38), and Buccinum tsubai (34), caught in the southwestern waters of the Japan Sea. Both total and methylmercury levels depend on the number of operculum circulii. There is a linear relationship between the total mercury concentration (T-Hg) in the muscle and that in the mid-gut, where the first regression coefficient (m) was about 2. A similar relationship was found between the methylmercury concentrations (MeHg) in the two tissues, though the m was 1.29. The ratio of T-Hg to MeHg in the muscle was 1:0.95, whereas it was 1:0.65 in the mid-gut. These facts suggest the demethylation from methylmercury in the mid-gut.
