Parasitic marine copepods

Symptoms

White nodules on gills
Gills show small nodules of a raised kind.

Abnormal swimming - streaks
Fish swims in short bursts, then stops.

Bloody lesions on body
Body shows one or more bloody lesions, where leeches have eaten into flesh.

Rubbing/scratching
Fish constantly rubs or scratches itself against any object available.

Salinity full salt water
Normal full salinity salt water.

Causes

Parasitic marine crustacea. Most copepods are benign, but a few are parasitic. If distress is seen, then assume they are parasitic. Some parasitic copepods are also found on fresh water species.

Prognosis

If recognised, no real losses should occur.

Treatment

Please login to see the treatment information.

Prevention

DNA and RNA diagnostic references

DNA Barcoding of Marine Copepods: Assessment of Analytical Approaches to Species Identification.

From June 23, 2014 Tree of Life.

Leocadio Blanco-Bercial et al.

Institution: Univ. of Connecticut, Dept Mar. Sciences . Groton CT. USA