Tracheliastes polycolpus
| Tracheliastes polycolpus | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Maxillopoda |
| Order: | Siphonostomatoida |
| Family: | Lernaeopodidae |
| Genus: | Tracheliastes |
| Species: | T. polycolpus |
| Binomial name | |
| Tracheliastes polycolpus Nordmann, 1832 [1] | |
Tracheliastes polycolpus is a copepod ectoparasite of a number of freshwater fish in Western Europe,[1] including Leuciscus burdigalensis, the beaked dace. The parasite attaches itself to the fins of the host, and lives on the mucus and epithelial cells of the host.
Life cycle
T. polycolpus find fish and attach themselves primarily onto the fins. The female T. polycolpus prefer to attach themselves onto the anal and pelvic fins. After attaching themselves onto the fish, they feed on their epithelial cells and mucus on the host. Then find a new host to feed on afterwards. Eggs attached onto the surface of the female the size of the eggs and female would depend on the size of the fish being infected.
Symptoms
Infestation with T. polycolpus can cause blisters on the fins of fish, and the loss of rays on pelvic, anal, pectoral, dorsal and caudal fins. By removing the rays of the fishes' fins, they prevent the fish from swimming which means that they are unable to feed, reproduce, migration and avoiding predators.
References
- 1 2 T. Chad Walter (2013). "Tracheliastes polycolpus Nordmann, 1832". World of Copepods database. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved December 12, 2013.
- Geraldine Loot, Nicolas Poulet, Yorick Reyjol, Simon Blanchet & Sovan Lek (2011). "The effects of the ectoparasite Tracheliastes polycolpus (Copepoda: Lernaeopodidae) on the fins of rostrum dace (Leuciscus leuciscus burdigalensis)". Parasitology Research. 94 (1): 16–23. doi:10.1007/s00436-004-1166-9.
- Mustafa Koyun (2011). "First report of Tracheliastes polycolpus (Copepoda: Lernaeopodidae) and Piscicola geometra L. 1761 (Annelida–Hirudinea) on Capoeta umbla at Murat River, Turkey". Asian Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances. 6: 966–970. doi:10.3923/ajava.2011.966.970.