A FINE STRUCTURE COMPARISON OF THREE SPECIES OF ARGULUS (CRUSTACEA: BRANCHIURA) ECTOPARASITES OF FARMED AND WILD FISH

Authors

Adam Bowen, Brigham Young University
Richard A. Heckmann, Brigham Young University

Keywords

Argulus, ectoparasites, wild fish, crustacea branchiura

College

Life Sciences

Department

Physiology and Developmental Biology

Abstract

Argulus, commonly called fish-lice, are crustacean ectoparasites of fish. This study compared three members of the genus Argulus: A. pugetensis from Nanaimo, British Columbia; A. coregoni from Curitiba, Brazil; and A. siamensis from Bangalore, India. It was hypothesized that argulids of different taxons must have morphological variations of commonly held structures. For example, two species of Argulus possess marginal membranes on their suckers, but the membranes should have different quantities and qualities of substructures. To test this hypothesis, all specimens were photographed with the JEOL 6100 scanning electron microscope; the micrographs of A. pugetensis and A. siamensis are the first ever in print. Data from these micrographs were used to compare the three species.

Recommended Citation

Bowen, Adam and Heckmann, Richard A. (2013) "A FINE STRUCTURE COMPARISON OF THREE SPECIES OF ARGULUS (CRUSTACEA: BRANCHIURA) ECTOPARASITES OF FARMED AND WILD FISH," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2013: Iss. 1, Article 1484.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2013/iss1/1484