Sea louse

For the itching dermatitis referred to as "sea lice", see Seabather's eruption.

Sea lice
Male and female Lepeophtheirus salmonis
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Copepoda
Order: Siphonostomatoida
Family: Caligidae
Burmeister, 1834 [1]
Genera [2]
Synonyms

Euryphoridae

Sea lice (singular: sea louse) are copepods (small crustaceans) of the family Caligidae within the order Siphonostomatoida. They are marine ectoparasites (external parasites) that feed on the mucus, epidermal tissue, and blood of host fish. The roughly 559 species in 37 genera include around 162 Lepeophtheirus and 268 Caligus species.

The genera Lepeophtheirus and Caligus parasitize marine fish, in particular those species that have been recorded on farmed salmon. Lepeophtheirus salmonis and various Caligus species are adapted to salt water and are major ectoparasites of farmed and wild Atlantic salmon. Several antiparasitic drugs have been developed for control purposes. L. salmonis is the best understood in the areas of its biology and interactions with its salmon host.

Caligus rogercresseyi has become a major parasite of concern on salmon farms in countries including Chile[3] and Scotland.[4] Studies are under way to gain a better understanding of the parasite and the host-parasite interactions. Recent evidence is also emerging that L. salmonis in the Atlantic has sufficient genetic differences from L. salmonis from the Pacific to suggest that Atlantic and Pacific L. salmonis may have independently co-evolved with Atlantic and Pacific salmonids respectively.[5]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ahyong was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ T. Chad Walter & Geoff Boxshall (2011). Walter TC, Boxshall G (eds.). "Caligidae". World of Copepods database. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  3. ^ S. Bravo (2003). "Sea lice in Chilean salmon farms". Bulletin of the European Association of Fish Pathologists. 23 (4): 197–200.
  4. ^ Ungoed-Thomas, Jon (16 September 2023). "'Monstrous' sea lice and jellyfish invasions blighting Scottish salmon farms". The Guardian.
  5. ^ R. Yazawa; M. Yasuike; J. Leong; K. R. von Schalburg; G. A. Cooper; M. Beetz-Sargent; A. Robb; W. S. Davidson; S. R. Jones; B. F. Koop (2008). "EST and mitochondrial DNA sequences support a distinct Pacific form of salmon louse, Lepeophtheirus salmonis". Marine Biotechnology. 10 (6): 741–749. doi:10.1007/s10126-008-9112-y. PMID 18574633.