Chondracanthus merluccii

Chondracanthus merluccii is a species of copepod in the family Chondracanthidae. It is a host-specific ectoparasite of the European hake (Merluccius merluccius). It was first described in 1802 by the Danish zoologist Hans Severin Holten who named it Lernaea merluccii.[1]

Chondracanthus merluccii
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Crustacea
Class:	Maxillopoda
Subclass:	Copepoda
Order:	Poecilostomatoida
Family:	Chondracanthidae
Genus:	Chondracanthus
Species:	C. merluccii
Binomial name
Chondracanthus merluccii (Holten, 1802) [1]
Synonyms[1]
Chondracanthus merlangi (Holten, 1802) Chondracanthus stramineus Wilson C.B., 1923 Chondracanthus xiphiae Cuvier, 1829 Lernaea merlangi Holten, 1802 Lernaea merluccii Holten, 1802

Ecology

Both adult females and adult males cling onto the lining of the floor of the mouth and onto the gills of the host fish.[2]

References

1. Boxshall, Geoff (2018). "Chondracanthus merluccii (Holten, 1802)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
2. Mawdesley-Thomas, Lionel E.; Burris, Kenneth Wayne; Knuckles, Joseph L. (1974). Diseases of Fish. Ardent Media. p. 197. ISBN 978-0-8422-7178-3.