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[wildeone]

Here is the message to and response from Dr. Rhodes.


Dr. Rhodes,
I was wondering if you could shed some light on a possible Epicaridean isopod that I believe has attached itself to my cleaner shrimp. The identification has been determined solely on opinion of other hobbiests in open forum discussion on reef central and Talking Reef. I have posted the photos to my tank jounal on Talkingreef, the link to that information is Wildeone's Newest Obsession and it is post #425. Feel freee to leave your reply in the jounal thread if you like.

If this is an Epicaridean isopod, would you happen to know if I need to do anything drastic such as an extraction or quarentine of the host? From what I have researched online, these seem to not cause the death of the host, therefore not a major issue to my reef. Any information you can shed would be appreciated and posted for others to learn from. I appreciate yout aking the time out of youyr schedule to help me. Thanks again!

Dear Duane - Well, that is an exciting event! I am a little out of my depth here, as I know more about food organisms than little parasites. However, not all parasites are killers. I dipped into any literature I could find on this type of isopod, and it appears to operate by attaching to the female sexual organs of its host. This forces the Lysmata shrimp, which is a simultaneous hermaphrodite, to use only its male sexual organs for reproduction. This seems to be a relationship that has co-evolved, and may have genetic implications, but it is unclear to date what those are. The shrimp can still reproduce, just as a male.
Therefore, if you don't have a breeding pair of shrimp in there, both with parasites, all of your other tank animals are probably safe. Parasitic isopods tend to be very species specific, you won't see a shrimp parasite jumping to a fish, for example. So, you probably don't need to go to extremes to remove it, just enjoy it as a natural part of the diversity of your tank system.
Hope my limited knowledge helps in your quest on this very interesting symbiotic relationship!
Adelaide


Thanks for your response Dr. Rhodes.