''Cyamus boopis'' is a species of

whale louse A whale louse is a commensal crustacean of the family Cyamidae. Despite the name, it is not a true louse (which are insects), but rather is related to the skeleton shrimp, most species of which are found in shallower waters. Whale lice are exter ...

in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Cyamidae. This 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 ...

that lives exclusively on

humpback whales The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh up to . The hump ...

. The infestation is most concentrated around the genital apertures, but occurs on all parts of the body, most commonly where there is an infestation of the

barnacle A barnacle is a type of arthropod constituting the subclass Cirripedia in the subphylum Crustacea, and is hence related to crabs and lobsters. Barnacles are exclusively marine, and tend to live in shallow and tidal waters, typically in eros ...

species ''

Coronula diadema ''Coronula diadema'' is a species of whale barnacle that lives on the skin of humpback whales and certain other species of whale. This species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in the 1767 12th edition of his ''Systema Naturae''. Description ...

''. Whale lice will promptly try to attach themselves to people when handling whales during processing.

Description

Males of the species grow to about 11.5 mm long and 4 mm wide, with the first antenna being about 5.25 mm long. Females grow to 9.5 mm long and 4 mm wide with the first antenna 3.5 mm. Both sexes have four-segmented antennae, the endmost containing strong bristles. The body comprises multiple segments, each containing hooks used to attach itself to the whale.

References

External links

Illustrations

Photo
Corophiidea Parasitic crustaceans Crustaceans described in 1870 Taxa named by Christian Frederik Lütken {{Amphipod-stub