The distribution of Ceratothoa steindachneri (Crustacea: Isopoda: Cymothoidae) parasitic in Echiichthys vipera in the north-east Atlantic

The distribution of the recently discovered association of the parasitic isopod Ceratothoa steindachneri (Isopoda: Cymothoidae) with the lesser weever fish ( Echiichthys vipera ) is reported. Ceratothoa steindachneri appears to have colonized the south-west coast of the UK between the 1960s and the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom
Main Authors: Horton, Tammy, Okamura, Beth
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Cambridge University Press (CUP) 2002
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0025315402005660
https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0025315402005660
Description
Summary:The distribution of the recently discovered association of the parasitic isopod Ceratothoa steindachneri (Isopoda: Cymothoidae) with the lesser weever fish ( Echiichthys vipera ) is reported. Ceratothoa steindachneri appears to have colonized the south-west coast of the UK between the 1960s and the 1980s, possibly as a result of range expansion due to climate change. The occurrence of C. steindachneri in E. vipera from Arcachon, France, indicates that this association has been occurring for over 100 years. Our data confirm that C. steindachneri is able to parasitize a broad range of fish hosts.