''Prosomicrocotyla'' is a genus of

monogenean Monogeneans, members of the class Monogenea, are a group of ectoparasitic flatworms commonly found on the skin, gills, or fins of fish. They have a direct lifecycle and do not require an intermediate host. Adults are hermaphrodites, meaning they ...

. Species of ''Prosomicrocotyla'' are

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 ...

s that affect their host by attaching themselves as

larva A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase ...

e on the

gills A gill () is a respiratory organ that many aquatic organisms use to extract dissolved oxygen from water and to excrete carbon dioxide. The gills of some species, such as hermit crabs, have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are ...

of the

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 ...

and grow into adult stage. This larval stage is called

oncomiracidium An oncomiracidium is the ciliated and free-living larva of a monogenean, a type of parasitic flatworm commonly found on fish. It is similar to the miracidium of Trematoda Trematoda is a class of flatworms known as trematodes, and commonly as ...

, and is characterized as free swimming and

ciliated The cilium (: cilia; ; in Medieval Latin and in anatomy, ''cilium'') is a short hair-like membrane protrusion from many types of eukaryotic cell. (Cilia are absent in bacteria and archaea.) The cilium has the shape of a slender threadlike pr ...

. Yamaguti, S. (1958) Studies on the helminth fauna of Japan. Part 53. Trematodes of fishes, XII. Publications of the Seto Marine Biological Laboratory, 7, 53–88

PDF Members of ''Prosomicrocotyla'' are characterised by a spatulate body; an haptor divided into two separate frills bordering posterior half of body proper, commencing at level of ovary; a non differentiated cirrus; a genital atrium forming a sucker-like structure armed with spines and a single middorsal vagina.

Species

Currently 4 species are recognized:WoRMS (2019). ''Prosomicrocotyla'' Yamaguti, 1958. Accessed at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=717532 on 2019-11-27

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q5025259 Microcotylidae Monogenea genera