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into the branchurians and the cope pods. The branchurians are small flat
crustaceans up to 1 em in size, the most common of which is Argulus. It has
been shown that Argulus acts as a vector for viral diseases (Cusack & Cone,
1986).
Parasitic crustaceans can be anchored such as Lernea or freely moving
such as Argulus. Their anchoring appendages are often very complex and they
penetrate deeply into the host tissue where they can cause severe tissue damage.
It is usually only the female copepods which parasitize fish.
Copepods are usually seen as a mature female carrying two egg cases
attached to the side of the fish. Lernea is the most common copepod parasite of
both fresh and saltwater fish, especially young fish which can be killed by only a
few parasites.
Healhly fish such as these discus, belonging to the author, are free of external
parasites due to proper treatment. Mike Jacobs photo
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