Nature Atlas

How Nature Works
Sign In
Text size
100%
Theme
Specy

Cymothoa exigua

Crustaceans

Cymothoa exigua, known as the tongue-eating louse, is a parasitic isopod in the family Cymothoidae found throughout the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It lives as an ectoparasite on the outside of its host, and adults can grow up to about an inch long, making them among the largest isopods recorded. The species is a sequential hermaphrodite: every individual is born male and later switches to female, so mature females are generally larger than males. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Facts
Classification
Diet
Parasitic 1
System (Realm)
Marine 2
Scientific Name
Cymothoa exigua 4
Conservation Status
Not Evaluated 5
Comparison
CITES Appendix
Not Listed 3
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Malacostraca, Taxa
Source Wikidata: Tongue-eating Louse
In the Other Atlases

Found In

Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.

Sources
1. Cymothoa exigua (Wikipedia)
Introduction
Quote, Introduction
Cymothoa exigua, also commonly known as the tongue-eating louse, is a parasitic isopod of the family Cymothoidae. As an ectoparasite, it lives on the outside of the host, and is found throughout the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
View the Source
2. GBIF Species API
GBIF Species APIView the Source
3. UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Animalia
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 23
Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 23
"cites_listing":"I/II/III/NC","eu_listing":"A/B/C/D/NC","higher_taxa":{"kingdom":"Animalia","phylum":null,"class":null,"order":null,"family":null},"synonyms":[],"common_names":[{"name":"Animals","language":"EN"},{"name":"Fauna","language":"EN"},{"name":"Animaux","language":"FR"}],"cites_listings":[]
View the Source
4. Wikipedia: Cymothoa exigua
WikipediaWikidata Q18873 (P225 taxon name)View the Source
5. GBIF (IUCN Red List category): GBIF IUCN Red List category for Cymothoa exigua
GBIF (IUCN Red List category)GBIF taxon key 2210260, category field
Quote, GBIF taxon key 2210260, category field
"category": "NOT_EVALUATED"
View the Source
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
International Union for Conservation of NatureView the Source
Wikidata: Tongue-eating Louse
Child Taxon Of: Malacostraca, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share a thought.
Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.