Cardiodectes medusaeus

Cardiodectes medusaeus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Subphylum:	Crustacea
Class:	Hexanauplia
Subclass:	Copepoda
Order:	Siphonostomatoida
Family:	Pennellidae
Genus:	Cardiodectes
Species:	C. medusaeus
Binomial name
	Cardiodectes medusaeus; (Wilson, 1908)
Synonyms
	Lernaeenicus medusaeus Wilson C.B., 1908[1]

Cardiodectes medusaeus is a species of copepods in the family Pennellidae. It is a parasite of fish.

In the cnidarian Hydrichthys sarcotretis, parasitism is taken a stage further when the hydrozoan attaches itself to the C. medusaeus. This is itself an ectoparasite of the Northern lampfish (Stenobrachius leucopsarus) in the family Myctophidae. The copepod attaches itself to the bulbus arteriosus of the fish. Such a parasitic chain is known as hyperparasitism.[2] C. medusaeus requires two hosts for proper development. It will go through five successive postembryonic stages, then only the postmated females will go into the pericardial cavity of a lanternfish[3]. The actions of the copepod castrate its fish host. Both male and female fish do not reproduce and seem to grow faster when attacked by the copepod and it seems to have a negligible energy demand from them.[4] The hydrozoan parasite castrates the copepod, a process called hypercastration.[2]

References

North American parasitic copepods: a list of those found upon the fishes of the Pacific coast, with descriptions of new genera and species. CB Wilson, 1908
Bush, Albert O. (2001). Parasitism: the diversity and ecology of animal parasites. p. 285. ISBN 978-0-521-66447-9.
Perkins, Penny (1985). "Iron Crystals in the Attachment Organ of the Erythrophagous Copepod Cardiodectes medusaeus (Pennellidae)". Journal of Crustacean Biology. 5 (4): 591–605. doi:10.2307/1548237. JSTOR 1548237.
Moser, Mike; Taylor, Sam (1978). "Effects of the copepod Cardiodectes medusaeus on the laternfish Stenobrachius leucopsarus with notes on hypercastration by the hydroid Hydrichthys sp.". Canadian Journal of Zoology. 56 (11): 2372–6. doi:10.1139/z78-321.

External links

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[1] North American parasitic copepods: a list of those found upon the fishes of the Pacific coast, with descriptions of new genera and species. CB Wilson, 1908

[GB-2] Bush, Albert O. (2001). Parasitism: the diversity and ecology of animal parasites. p. 285. ISBN 978-0-521-66447-9.

[3] Perkins, Penny (1985). "Iron Crystals in the Attachment Organ of the Erythrophagous Copepod Cardiodectes medusaeus (Pennellidae)". Journal of Crustacean Biology. 5 (4): 591–605. doi:10.2307/1548237. JSTOR 1548237.

[4] Moser, Mike; Taylor, Sam (1978). "Effects of the copepod Cardiodectes medusaeus on the laternfish Stenobrachius leucopsarus with notes on hypercastration by the hydroid Hydrichthys sp.". Canadian Journal of Zoology. 56 (11): 2372–6. doi:10.1139/z78-321.