Abergasilus
Genus of crustaceans
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Abergasilus amplexus is a species of parasitic copepod endemic to euryhaline habitats in New Zealand. It is the only known species in the genus Abergasilus.
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| Abergasilus | |
|---|---|
| |
| Type specimen from Te Papa Tongarewa | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Copepoda |
| Order: | Cyclopoida |
| Family: | Ergasilidae |
| Genus: | Abergasilus Hewitt, 1978 |
| Species: | A. amplexus |
| Binomial name | |
| Abergasilus amplexus Hewitt, 1978 | |
Description
This species is unique among ergasilids in that it only has three pairs of legs: the fourth and fifth pairs are reduced to single spines or are completely absent.[1] The second antenna is very distinctive, hooks on the last and penultimate segments creating an obviously claw-like structure, more obvious in the female.[1] The male is free-living, forming part of the plankton.[2] Both sexes have an average length of 0.5 mm.[2]
Hosts
The main host appears to be Anguilla australis: in Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora, infestation rates on this eel approach 100%, sometimes with over 100 parasites on the gills of a single fish. Other recorded host species include Anguilla dieffenbachii, Arripis trutta, Carassius auratus, Galaxias maculatus, Perca fluviatilis, Pseudophycis bachus, Retropinna retropinna, Rhombosolea leporina, Rhombosolea plebeia and Rhombosolea retiaria.[1]
