The chemical cues of male sea lice Lepeophtheirus salmonisencourage others to move between host Atlantic salmon Salmo salar

• Published in: Journal of Fish Biology
• Main Author: Stephenson, J. F.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2012
• Subjects: Atlantic salmon; Salmo salar
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.2012.03347.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1095-8649.2012.03347.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1095-8649.2012.03347.x

Adult male sea lice Lepeophtheirus salmonis were more likely to leave host fish Atlantic salmon Salmo salar if they detected the chemical cues of other adult male lice than if they detect cues of female lice. The detection of both male and female chemical cues yielded an intermediate response. These results suggest that males use chemical cues to balance competition for resources and mate acquisition, and they highlight the need for further studies of the chemical ecology of this important parasite.