''Chonopeltis'' is a
genus of
fish lice
The family Argulidae, whose members are commonly known as carp lice or fish lice, are parasitic crustaceans in the class Ichthyostraca. It is the only family in the monotypic subclass Branchiura and the order Arguloida, although a second family, ...
in the
subclass Branchiura
The family Argulidae, whose members are commonly known as carp lice or fish lice, are parasitic crustaceans in the class Ichthyostraca. It is the only family in the monotypic subclass Branchiura and the order Arguloida, although a second family, ...
. These
crustaceans are
ectoparasitic and spend most of their lives on the body of an aquatic
host. Species of this
genus are found exclusively in Africa, and inhabit
freshwater
Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...
rivers.
Description
Members of this
genus do not grow any larger than a few millimetres in size. They have flat bodies covered by a
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 ...
, and have two large suction cups, one on either side their heads. They use these suction cups to stick to their hosts.
They feed on the host‘s various assets, including mucus, internal fluids and sloughed-off scales.
Life cycle
Their
larvae
A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle.
The ...
live and grow on their host‘s body, and mating occurs on the body of the host. ''Chonopeltis'' species will not leave the host during the egg-laying process, as they are poor swimmers.
This is in contrast to other members of the
family) Argulidae, who must leave their hosts to mate. After mating, females will adhere their eggs to structures or
substrate
Substrate may refer to:
Physical layers
*Substrate (biology), the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the surface or medium on which an organism grows or is attached
** Substrate (locomotion), the surface over which an organism lo ...
in their environment while the host is at rest.
Species
As of December, 2022, there are 12 species recognised in the genus ''Chonopeltis'':
*''
Chonopeltis australis''
*''
Chonopeltis brevis''
*''
Chonopeltis congicus''
*''
Chonopeltis elongatus''
*''
Chonopeltis flaccifrons''
*''
Chonopeltis fryeri''
*''
Chonopeltis inermis''
*''
Chonopeltis lisikili''
*''
Chonopeltis liversedgi''
*''
Chonopeltis meridionalis''
*''
Chonopeltis minutus''
*''
Chonopeltis schoutedeni''
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q18583595
Crustacean genera