For every ardent evolutionist (like me), Parasites offer a unique insight into how evolutionary pressure works. And here are some examples, which regrettably were not too many this year.
A parasitic copepod on whip coral goby.
Here, the egg structures are clearly visible.
A Linkia sea-star (
Linckia laevigata) with a parasitic gastropod (Thyca crystalline
)
An unidentified parasite on a juvenile. Our resident saltwater aquarium expert (Thanos) give a grim prognosis.
Two samples of the rather disgusting isopod parasite
Cymothoa exigua, the tongue-eating louse!!! It will enter the mouth through the gills, attach to the tongue of the fish, which will eventually atrophy and be replaced by the parasite. Incredibly, there seems to be no more damage to the fish which will use the body of the isopod as a replacement tongue.
This way, you sometimes have the creepy experience of a pair of eyes staring at you from inside the fish mouth.
