Lernaea
Lernaea | |
---|---|
Lernaea cyprinacea | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Copepoda |
Order: | Cyclopoida |
Family: | Lernaeidae |
Genus: | Lernaea Linnaeus, 1758 |
Lernaea is a genus of copepod crustaceans whose members are commonly called anchor worms and are parasitic on freshwater fishes.
Life cycle
Anchor worms mate during the last free-swimming (copepodid) stage of development. After mating, the female burrows into the flesh of a fish and transforms into an unsegmented, wormlike form, usually with a portion hanging from the fish's body.
Diagnosis
Symptoms of anchor worm can be as follows:[3]
- Anchor worms (Lernaea sp.) can be seen with the naked eye
- Frequent rubbing or "flashing"
- Localised redness
- Inflammation on the body of the fish
- Tiny white-green or red worms in wounds
- Breathing difficulties
- General lethargy
Treatment
There are several treatments for anchor worm in the aquarium/pond.
Manual removal of the parasite is one of the surest ways to get rid of it; this can be done by holding the fish in the hand and removing the parasites with a pair of tweezers, being careful not to break the tail off leaving the head embedded and dipping the fish back into water every few seconds so it can breathe. Sometimes the parasite can burrow so deeply that pulling it out can cause more trauma than leaving it in and just treating it.[3]
References
- Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. Microsoft Corporation. 2009. Archived from the originalon 2009-11-02.
- ^ . Retrieved 18 November 2022.
- ^ a b c "Anchor Worms - Identification & Treatment". FishDeals. 2019. Archived from the original on 22 March 2019.