Cymothoa eremita
Taxonomy
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Genus
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Specific Epitheteremita (Brunnich, 1783)
Description
The parasitic “tongue biter” is Cymothoa eremita collected from the host Nemipterus furcosus. The first collected specimen was from Malaysian waters (in Sarawak) by Anand et al. (2015, 2017) from the buccal cavity of Psettodes erumei.
Owing to the low host specificity on a variety of fishes, the distribution of Cymothoa eremita is highly dependent on the occurrence of fish hosts, with some species being pelagic and others being benthic. To date, C. eremita has a wide geographical distribution from the western Indian Ocean (e.g., Mozambique) to the Central Indo-Pacific (e.g., Australia).
Cymothoa eremita can be identified by several distinct characteristics:
1) The front part of the body (called the cephalon) is somewhat subtruncate.
2) The first body segment (known as pereonite 1) has margins at the front that extend nearly halfway up the cephalon.
3) The body segment after the pereonite (called the pleon) is about the same width as the pereon.
4) A pair of appendages (uropods) at the back, which do not quite reach the end of the body.
5) The seventh pair of legs (pereopod 7) has a noticeable bulge on the inner part of the leg (ischium).
6) Small horn-like structures on the posterolateral margins of pereonite 1.
Biodiversity Experts
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Aziz Bin Arshad (Prof. Dr.)
Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM)
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Fishes (Taxonomy), Crustaceans (Taxonomy), Fishes (Ecology), Crustaceans (Ecology), Molluscs (Ecology),
Biodiversity, Conservation & Marine & Coastal
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Azman Bin Abdul Rahim (Assoc. Prof. Dr.)
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
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Crustaceans, Coral Reefs (Ecology),
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Conservation, Ecosystems, Environment, Evolution & Marine & Coastal
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Charles Leh Moi Ung (Dr.)
Sarawak Museum Department (JMS)
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Fishes, Turtle, Tortoise, and Terrapin, Crustaceans,
Biodiversity & Science
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Othman Bin Hj. Ross (Prof. Dr.)
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM)
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Crustaceans,
Biodiversity, Ecosystems & Marine & Coastal
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Siti Azizah Mohd Nor (Prof. Dr.)
Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)
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Crustaceans, Fishes, Molluscs,
Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecosystems, Marine & Coastal & Molecular
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References
- Anand, K.A., Rameshkumar, G., Ravichandran, S., Nagarajan, R., Prabakaran, K. & Ramesh, M. (2017). Distribution of isopod parasites in commercially important marine fishes of the Miri coast, East Malaysia. Journal of Parasitic Diseases 41 (1), 55-61. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12639-016-0749-6
- Anand, K.A., Rameshkumar, G., Ravichandran, S., Priya, E.R., Nagarajan, R. & Goh, A.K.L. (2015). Occurrence of cymothoid isopod from Miri, East Malaysian marine fishes. Journal of Parasitic Diseases 39 (2), 206-210. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12639-013-0320-7
- Martin, M.B., Tuah, A., Muhamad, J.H. & Bruce, N.L. (2022). A review of the family Cymothoidae (Isopoda: Cymothooidea) infesting marine fishes from Malaysian waters, with new host and geographical records. Zootaxa 5222 (1), 1-36. https://doi.org10.11646/ZOOTAXA.5222.1.1
- Martin, M.B., Bruce, N.L. & Nowak, B.F. (2016). Monograph: Review of the fish-parasitic genus Cymothoa Fabricius, 1793 (Crustacea: Isopoda: Cymothoidae) from Australia. Zootaxa 4119 (1), 1-72. https://doi.org/10.11646/ZOOTAXA.4119.1.1
Acknowledgements :- Ms. Nurfarhana Hizan Binti Hijas & Mr. Tan Kok Kiat
Species Citation :- Cymothoa eremita. Malaysia Biodiversity Information System (MyBIS). Accessed via https://www.mybis.gov.my/sp/69573. [Retrieved 03 December 2023].
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