| Ceratothoa | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Superorder: | Peracarida |
| Order: | Isopoda |
| Family: | Cymothoidae |
| Genus: | Ceratothoa Dana, 1852 |
| Species | |
26 species (see text) | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
| |
Ceratothoais a genus of isopod ectoparasites of teleost fish, [2] [3] first described by James Dwight Dana in 1852. [1] Infection by Ceratothoa can cause anaemia, lesions, growth retardation, emaciation, and mortality in their fish hosts. [3]
Currently, 26 valid species in this genus are recognized: [1]
C. carinata and C. oxyrrhynchaena were redescribed in 2013, [5] and C. angulata, C. capri, C. carinata, C. collaris, C. gilberti, C. gobii, C. guttata, C. italica, C. oestroides, and C. verrucosa in 2016. [6]
A number of taxa are species inquirendae : [1]
Isopoda is an order of crustacean, which includes woodlice and their relatives. Members of this group are called Isopods and include both terrestrial and aquatic species. All have rigid, segmented exoskeletons, two pairs of antennae, seven pairs of jointed limbs on the thorax, and five pairs of branching appendages on the abdomen that are used in respiration. Females brood their young in a pouch under their thorax.
Cymothoa exigua, or the tongue-eating louse, is a parasitic isopod of the family Cymothoidae. It enters fish through the gills. The female attaches to the tongue, while the male attaches to the gill arches beneath and behind the female. Females are 8–29 mm (0.3–1.1 in) long and 4–14 mm (0.16–0.55 in) wide. Males are about 7.5–15 mm (0.3–0.6 in) long and 3–7 mm (0.12–0.28 in) wide. The parasite severs the blood vessels in the fish's tongue, causing the tongue to fall off. It then attaches itself to the remaining stub of tongue and the parasite itself effectively serves as the fish's new "tongue".
Sphaeromatidae is a family of isopods, often encountered on rocky shores and in shelf waters in temperate zones. The family includes almost 100 genera and 619 known marine species. Within these genera, there are groups that share distinctive morphologies; further research may reclassify these genus-groups as separate families.
Styloniscus is a genus of woodlice in the family Styloniscidae. It contains the following species as of 2010:
The Cymothoidae are a family of isopods in the suborder Cymothoida found in both marine and freshwater environments. Cymoithoids are ectoparasites, usually of fish, and they include the bizarre "tongue-biter", which attaches to a fish's tongue, causing it to atrophy, and replaces the tongue with its own body. Ceratothoa oestroides is one of the most devastating ectoparasites in Mediterranean aquaculture. Around 40 genera and more than 380 species of cymothoid are recognised. Species of the Cymothoidae are generally found in warmer waters and rarely in the cool and cold climates.
Archaeoniscus is a genus of prehistoric isopods that first appeared during the Bajocian stage of the Middle Jurassic. It is a widespread genus with a paleogeographic distribution encompassing the continental margin environments of the central Atlantic Ocean and the western Tethys Ocean. Fossils of Archaeoniscus suggest that this genus lived in diverse aquatic habitats, including the marine, paralic, and freshwater environments. While earlier descriptions suggested that it may have had an ectoparasitic association with fishes, some researchers argue that at least two species, A. aranguthyorum and A. coreaensis, lived a benthic free-living lifestyle based on morphological characteristics that are either unsuitable for or unrelated to parasitic behavior.
Cymothoida is the name of a suborder of isopod crustaceans with a mostly carnivorous or parasitic lifestyle. It contains more than 2,700 described species in four superfamilies. Members of the suborder are characterised by their specialised mouthparts which include a mandible with a tooth-like process which is adapted for cutting or slicing.
Cymothoa is a genus of parasitic isopod crustaceans, containing the species listed below. Not all Cymothoa species are considered parasitic. Some climb onto fish in an act known as phoresy.
Gnathia is a genus of isopod crustaceans, containing the following species:
Cirolana is a genus of isopod crustaceans.
The sailfin flying fish is a member of the flying fish family (Exocoetidae). As is typical of other members of its family, this species has the ability to jump out of the water and glide on hypertrophied fins in order to evade predators. It is considered a “two-winged” flying fish, meaning that it only has enlarged pectoral fins, as opposed to “four-winged” flying fish, which have both enlarged pectoral and pelvic fins.
Armadillidae is a family of woodlice, comprising around 80 genera and 700 species. It is the largest family of Oniscidea, and one of the most species-rich families of the entire Isopoda. Armadillids generally have a strongly convex body shape, with some rather shallowly convex. Like members of the woodlice family Armadillidiidae, armadillids are capable of enrolling into a sphere (conglobation), and are commonly known as pill bugs. Armadillids differ from the Armadillidiidae in that the antennae are fully enclosed within the sphere.
Aega is a genus of isopods in the family Aegidae, containing the following species:
Nerocila is a genus of parasitic isopod crustaceans, with 11 species, which have been found parasitizing Indian marine fishes.
Elthusa californica is a species of isopod in the family Cymothoidae of the order Isopoda. E.californica is a saltwater parasitic isopod. Like many species of the Elthusa genus, E. californica was first placed in within the Liveneca genus, but later underwent taxonomic revisions.
Elthusa is a genus of isopods in the family Cymothoidae, with 40 described species.
Ceratothoa oestroides is a crustacean isopod, obligate ectoparasite of marine fish that dwells in the buccal cavity. It is the causative agent of various pathologies including tissue damage at the parasitisation site (tongue), growth defects, decrease in mean host weight and size and increases mortalities in farmed and wild fish populations. It has been recorded in six different fish families: Sparidae, Carangidae, Clupeidae, Maenidae, Scorpenidae, and Mugilidae.
Scutuloidea maculata is a species of marine isopods in the family Sphaeromatidae, first described by Charles Chilton in 1883. No subspecies are listed in the Catalogue of Life.
Anuropus is a genus of isopods in the suborder Cymothoida. As of 2021, it is the only genus in the family Anuropidae.
| Authority control databases: National |
|---|
