Species
Fish Louse
Crustaceans
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Fish lice, class Branchiura, are flattened, disk-shaped crustaceans that live as external parasites on the skin and gills of freshwater and marine fish, attaching with a pair of large sucker-like discs and piercing the host with a sharp stylet to feed on blood and tissue fluid. Unlike most parasitic crustaceans, fish lice remain highly mobile throughout their life and can swim freely between hosts, and heavy infestations are a recognized problem in fish farming, causing skin damage, secondary infection and reduced growth in affected stock.
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