Horrifying Images Reveal Bizarre Parasite That Replaces Tongue of Its Fish Host and Feeds on Blood

Horrifying Images Reveal Bizarre Parasite That Replaces Tongue of Its Fish Host and Feeds on Blood

Source: newsweek

8/12/2020

A biologist made an unexpected discovery while researching fish heads—a bizarre parasitic crustacean that replaces the tongue of its host.

Kory Evans from Rice University in Houston spotted the strange parasite in an image of the skull of a herring cale—a species of ray-finned fish endemic to the waters off Australia.

Evans was scanning the fish as part of an ongoing project to study the 3D skull shape of wrasses—a group of nearly 500 marine fish species—using a technique known as micro-computed tomography (micro-CT).

Cicadas Emerge After 17 Years Underground, Bringing Killer Wasps
This Bizarre Parasitic 'Love Vine' Mummifies Wasps
This Parasitic, Stink Bug-Killing Wasp Has Been Named After Idris Elba

Newsweek subscription offers >

"Micro-CT scanning is basically a 3D X-ray that allows researchers to visualize the internal anatomy of organisms without the need for dissection," Evans told Newsweek. "So far we've scanned nearly 200 species.

"To compare shapes between specimens I placed digital landmarks at different points along the skull to allow for detailed comparison. I found the parasite while trying to place digital landmarks inside the mouth cavity of the fish.

Continue...

News Id		Source	Stamp	country
76	A horizontal one-two for fall bass	echopress	2024-10-11	US
77	100-pound lake monster caught by angler in Hungary.	miamiherald	2024-09-24	HU
78	Adapt and Adjust	echopress	2024-10-04	US
79	River creature with thick lips, glittery fins found in China	miamiherald	2024-10-08	CN
80	Soil-dwelling fish dug up in rainforest of Costa Rica	miamiherald	2024-10-08	CR
81	Canadas sanction of 4 Passamaquoddy fishermen heats dispute over tribal fishing rights	bangor daily news	2024-10-07	CA
82	Вечера в лодке	ohotniki	2024-10-04	RU
83	Salmon Swim Freely in the Klamath River	Associated Press	2024-10-07	CA
84	Mass fish deaths in Lake Victoria push fish farmers to loss	thefishsite	2024-10-07	KE
85	Global fisheries must change to avoid ocean collapse, study says	lapatilla	2024-09-24	VE
86	Global fisheries must change to avoid ocean collapse	mongabay	2024-09-25	US
87	Another doomsday fish makes an appearance, this time in Australia	wionews	2024-09-25	AU
88	Fish has legs that can taste prey hidden under the sand using genes also found in humans	abc	2024-09-26	AU
89	Why you should think twice before going on sudden fishing trips right after Helene	herald tribune	2024-09-27	US
90	Scottish salmon farm cleared tonnes of dead fish before inspection	theguardian	2024-09-25	UK
91	Fishermen want clear labeling for locally caught seafood vs imported	khon2	2024-09-27	US
92	Trio land 155kg monster tuna trapped in rocks near Little Barrier Island	NZ Herald	2024-09-27	NZ
93	Heartbreak as fish at Horsham beauty spot reported to be gasping for air	sussexexpress	2024-09-11	UK
94	Do wild fish belong to the public?	anthropocenemagazine	2024-09-25	US
95	Study Finds Invasive Species May Spawn Twice a Year in the Bay	chesapeake bay magazine	2024-09-24	US
96	A wondrous fish has made a miraculous return to UK seas	theguardian	2024-09-27	UK
97	DNR invites public comment for Roseau River WMA master plan update	echopress	2024-10-02	US
98	Shimmering river creature with rather large eyes found in China	miamiherald	2024-10-03	CN
99	N.S. fisheries minister says feds not taking illegal fishing seriously	CBC News	2024-10-03	CA
100	Караси поздней осени	ohotniki	2024-09-25	RU