''Bopyrus squillarum'' is an isopod parasite of the infraorder

Epicaridea Epicaridea is a former suborder of isopods, now treated as an infraorder in suborder Cymothoida. They are ectoparasites that inhabit other crustaceans, namely ostracods, copepods, barnacles and malacostracans. Epicarideans are found globally. Epi ...

. As such, ''B. squillarum'' is an

ectoparasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson has ...

, feeding off crustaceans

hemolymph Hemolymph, or haemolymph, is a fluid, analogous to the blood in vertebrates, that circulates in the interior of the arthropod (invertebrate) body, remaining in direct contact with the animal's tissues. It is composed of a fluid plasma in which ...

. This parasite is specific to common prawns (''

Palaemon serratus ''Palaemon serratus'', also called the common prawn, is a species of shrimp found in the Atlantic Ocean from Denmark to Mauritania, and in the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea. Ecology Individuals live for 3–5 years in groups in rocky crevice ...

''), but can rarely be found on other species of the genus Palaemon such as '' P. elegans''.DeBhaldraithe, P. 1972. Notes on the Occurrence of the Isopod Parasite Bopyrus squillarum Latreille. Irish Naturalists Journal 17(8): 276–279.

Distribution

''Bopyrus squillarum'' can be found in marine habitats all along the northeast Atlantic coast as well as the north sea. The number of ''B. squillarum'' infections seem to vary over the years, as studies have shown infection rates ranging from 6.4% to 20.1% between 1969 and 2014 along the Irish coast.Quigley, D.T., and Rafferty, J. 2015. The occurrence of the parasitic Isopod Bopyrus squillarum Latreille, 1802 on the Common Shrimp (Palaemon serratus (Pennant)) in Irish waters. Irish Naturalists' Journal 34(2): 131–132.

Biology

During its planktonic larval stage, the young ''B. squillarum'' attaches to a young '' P. serratus'' and settles down in its branchial chamber. As the parasite and the prawn grow up, the parasite creates a bulge in the prawns

carapace A carapace is a Dorsum (biology), dorsal (upper) section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods, such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates, such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tor ...

. The female ''B. squillarum'' is much bigger than the male and is the parasite that attaches to the host. The smaller male will attach itself to a female to breed. While present, ''B. squillarum'' will lead to a reduction in its hosts gonads and prevent the host's reproduction. The ''B. squillarum'' parasite has a shorter lifespan than its host, falling out of the branchial chamber of the prawn upon death.

References

Cymothoida Parasites Crustaceans described in 1802 {{Parasite-stub