''Ceratothoa steindachneri'' is an

ectoparasite 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 ...

known as a tongue biter. It parasitises

fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

by attaching to the tongue, causing

atrophy Atrophy is the partial or complete wasting away of a part of the body. Causes of atrophy include mutations (which can destroy the gene to build up the organ), malnutrition, poor nourishment, poor circulatory system, circulation, loss of hormone, ...

. It then replaces the tongue.

Description

''Ceratothoa steindachneri'' has an oval to rounded body and is generally stocky. It is tan or ivory coloured, with considerable

sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different Morphology (biology), morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecy, di ...

in this species, with females (15–23 mm) being much larger than males (4.8-5.3 mm). Females are also more rotund, males are more stocky and rectangular.

Distribution

''Ceratothoa steindachneri'' is found in the northern

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

and the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

. It was first found in British waters at

Whitsand Bay Whitsand Bay, situated in south east Cornwall, England, runs from Rame Head in the east to Portwrinkle in the west. It is characterised by sheer, high cliffs, dramatic scenery and long stretches of sandy beaches. The South West Coast Path ru ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

, in 1996 in the

lesser weever The lesser weever (''Echiichthys vipera'') is a venomous weever of the family Trachinidae, in the order Perciformes, and the class Actinopterygii. It is generally found on the sandy sea beds of the open sea, near the shore. Lesser weevers may s ...

fish. It has since be found all around the coast of Britain.

Host species

It is a

generalist species A generalist species is able to thrive in a wide variety of environmental conditions and can make use of a variety of different natural resource, resources (for example, a heterotroph with a varied diet (nutrition), diet). A specialist species can ...

that can parasitise a wide range of fish species, including the shortnose greeneye (''Chlorophthalmus agassizi''), lesser weever fish ('' Echiichthys vipera''),

red porgy The red porgy (''Pagrus pagrus''), also known as the common seabream or Couch's bream, is a species of marine ray-finned fish in the family Sparidae. It is found in shallow waters on either side of the Atlantic Ocean, being present on the western ...

(''Pagrus pagrus''),

comber Comber ( , , locally ) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies south of Newtownards, at the northern end of Strangford Lough. It is situated in the townland of Town Parks, the civil parish of Comber and the historic barony of Cas ...

(''Serranus cabrilla''),

painted comber The painted comber (''Serranus scriba'') is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a sea bass from the subfamily Serraninae, classified as part of the family Serranidae which includes the groupers and anthias. It is found in the eastern Atlantic O ...

(''Serranus scriba''), brown comber (''Serranus hepatus''), annular seabream (''Diplodus annularis''), and common two-banded sea bream (''Diplodus vulgaris''). ''Ceratothoa steindachneri'' has also been reported on '' Raja asterias'', '' R. polystigma'', and '' R. albas'', but these records are yet to be confirmed, as they are most likely the result of trawl transfers.

References

{{Portal bar, Crustaceans, Marine life Cymothoida Animal parasites of fish Ectoparasites Crustaceans described in 1879 Isopods of the Atlantic Ocean Parasitic crustaceans