The Aegidae are a
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
of
isopod
Isopoda is an Order (biology), order of crustaceans. Members of this group are called isopods and include both Aquatic animal, aquatic species and Terrestrial animal, terrestrial species such as woodlice. All have rigid, segmented exoskeletons ...
crustacean
Crustaceans (from Latin meaning: "those with shells" or "crusted ones") are invertebrate animals that constitute one group of arthropods that are traditionally a part of the subphylum Crustacea (), a large, diverse group of mainly aquatic arthrop ...
s. The adults are temporary
parasite
Parasitism is a Symbiosis, close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives (at least some of the time) on or inside another organism, the Host (biology), host, causing it some harm, and is Adaptation, adapted str ...
s of fish, feeding on their hosts' blood before dropping off to digest the meal. They differ from members of the family
Cirolanidae in having only three pairs of hook-like
pereiopod
The anatomy of a decapod consists of 20 body segments grouped into two main body parts: the cephalothorax and the pleon (abdomen). Each segment – often called a somite – may possess one pair of appendages, although in various groups these m ...
s, whereas in Cirolanidae all seven pairs of pereiopods are hooked. The family was first described by
Adam White in 1850.
The family contains the following genera:
*''
Aega''
Leach, 1815
*''
Aegapheles''
Bruce, 2009
*''
Aegiochus''
Bovallius, 1885
*''
Alitropus''
H. Milne-Edwards, 1840
*''
Epulaega''
Bruce, 2009
*''
Rocinela''
Leach, 1818
*''
Syscenus''
Harger, 1880
*''
Xenuraega''
Tattersall, 1909
References
Cymothoida
Isopod families
Taxa named by Adam White (zoologist)
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