Sarcotaces pacificus Parasite | Antennarius striatus Frogfish

This is a male hairy frogfish (Antennarius striatus) exhibiting the characteristic lump on his head and abdomen resulting from infection by the parasitic copepod Sarcotaces pacificus. A maggot-shaped female resides inside the lump, where she lays thousands of eggs. The eggs hatch within the lump and pass through five nauplius development stages before reaching their first copepodid stage, at which point the juvenile parasites are able to infect new hosts.

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Filename: antennarius-striatus-striated-frogfish-sarcotaces-pacificus-copepod-parasite-japan-202009-0380.tif
Copyright: Copyright Tony Wu. All rights reserved. No duplication, reproduction or usage without prior written permission.
Image Size: 7109x4739 / 96.6MB; https://www.photoshelter.com/support/license#rm; https://www.tony-wu.com/contact-tony-wu; Bony Fish Frogfish Animalia Chordata Osteichthyes Actinopterygii Lophiiformes Antennariidae Antennarius striatus Hairy Frogfish Striated Frogfish Striped Frogfish Arthropoda Crustacea Maxillopoda Copepoda Cyclopoida Poecilostomatoida Philichthyidae Sarcotaces pacificus Parasite Pacific Japan Kumamoto Prefecture
Contained in galleries: Fish Photos, Marine Life | Japan

This is a male hairy frogfish (Antennarius striatus) exhibiting the characteristic lump on his head and abdomen resulting from infection by the parasitic copepod Sarcotaces pacificus. A maggot-shaped female resides inside the lump, where she lays thousands of eggs. The eggs hatch within the lump and pass through five nauplius development stages before reaching their first copepodid stage, at which point the juvenile parasites are able to infect new hosts.