Fish Lice: Branchiura - Physical Characteristics, Behavior And Reproduction, Fish Louse (argulus Foliaceus): Species Account - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, HABITAT, DIET, FISH LICE AND PEOPLE, CONSERVATION STATUS
freshwater found facilities
Fish lice are found in freshwater habitats on all continents.
Fish lice parasitize freshwater fishes. A few species attack fish living along the coast or in estuaries, but they are never found out in the open sea. They are sometimes found on amphibians.
Fish lice eat the skin and blood of their host.
Fish lice are important pests in fish culture facilities. They usually occur in freshwater facilities, but occasionally infest marine fish farms. Aquarium fish may be killed by infestations of fish lice.
No species of fish lice is considered threatened or endangered.
Additional Topics
Most fish lice are external parasites of freshwater fishes. They live on the outside of the bodies of their hosts and feed on blood and other body fluids. Fish lice are flat, egg-shaped crustaceans and have bodies divided into three regions: head, thorax, and abdomen. A well-developed, shieldlike carapace (CARE-eh-pes) covers the head. In some species the carapace covers the sides of the body and …
Only the behavior of Argulus is well known. They use their mandibles to scrape skin into their mouth. They use their needle-like mouthparts to inject chemicals into the host's body. These chemicals may help turn nearby tissues into liquid so that they can be sucked into the mouth. After taking a meal, mature females leave their hosts to lay eggs. They glue their eggs in rows on hard surface…
Physical characteristics: The abdominal lobes of fish lice are broadly rounded. The notch between the lobes is not very deep and less than half the length of the lobes. The first three pairs of thoracic limbs are dark at their bases. Adult females measure 0.39 inches (10 millimeters) in length, while the males are 0.35 inches (9 millimeters). Geographic range: They are found in Europe, east to cen…
Citing this material
Please include a link to this page if you have found this material useful for research or writing a related article. Content on this website is from high-quality, licensed material originally published in print form. You can always be sure you're reading unbiased, factual, and accurate information.
Highlight the text below, right-click, and select “copy”. Paste the link into your website, email, or any other HTML document.
User Comments