An Incidence of Parasitism of Deepwater King Crab, Lithodes aequispina , by the Barnacle Briarosaccus callosus

• Published in: Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada
• Main Authors: McMullen, John C., Yoshihara, Harvey T.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 1970
• Subjects: General Medicine; Bering Sea; Gulf of Alaska; Kodiak; Alaska
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/f70-086; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/f70-086

Parasitism of commercially important anomuran crabs in Alaskan waters by the rhizocephalan Briarosaccus callosus Boschma has been documented twice. One specimen from the Bering Sea was hosted by the deepwater king crab, Lithodes aequispina, and two others were found among a group of 99 king crab, Paralithodes camtschatica (Tilesius), in southeastern Alaska. In July 1969, 14 of 21 L. aequispina captured near Kodiak Island were found to be infected with B. callosus. The high incidence of infection is the first documentation of B. callosus in the upper Gulf of Alaska, where research on anomuran crabs has been conducted for about 12 years.