Infestation of isopod parasites in commercial marine fishes

Excerpt

Crustacean ectoparasites on marine fishes are diverse. Many species of fishes are infected by cymothoids (Crustacea, Isopoda, Cymothoidae). They are blood-feeding; several species settle in the buccal cavity of fish, others live in the gill chamber or on the body surface including the fins. Their life cycle involves only one host (Holoxenic cycle). Isopods form an Order in the crustaceans. The name Isopod refers to all legs being similar in size and shape. Isopods are associated with many species of commercially important fishes around the world and cause significant economic losses to fisheries by killing, stunting, or damaging these fishes. They can also kill or impair immature fishes so that they do not survive. Isopods serve as important food items for a variety of animals. They are commonly seen as parasites on teleosts in tropical and subtropical waters (Brusca 1981; Bunkley-Williams and Williams 1998; Ravichandran et al. 2000; Ravichandran 2007). They resemble free-living isopods except for their hook-like legs. The stages normally found are the non-swimming, permanently attached mature females, often with a small male nearby. …