Chondracanthus merluccii

Chondracanthus merluccii
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Copepoda
Order:	Cyclopoida
Family:	Chondracanthidae
Genus:	Chondracanthus
Species:	C. merluccii
Binomial name
	Chondracanthus merluccii; (Holten, 1802)
Synonyms
	Chondracanthus merlangi (Holten, 1802); Chondracanthus stramineus Wilson C.B., 1923; Chondracanthus xiphiae Cuvier, 1829; Lernaea merlangi Holten, 1802; Lernaea merluccii Holten, 1802;

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]

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]

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