Peniculisa

Peniculisa is a genus of marine parasitic copepods in the family Pennellidae.

Biology

Organisms from this genus are often found attached to the bodies and fins of fishes in the South Pacific and Indian oceans. Individual fishes have been reported to harbor hundreds of Peniculisa wilsoni parasites. Infection intensity is rarely cited for other Peniculisa species. Peniculisa parasitic infections tend to be limited to tetraodontiform and pomacentrid fishes.

Taxonomy

There are nine recognized species of Peniculisa:

• Peniculisa bellwoodi <small>Boxshall, 1989</small> – parasite of Pomacentrus amboinensis
• Peniculisa bicaudata <small>Shiino, 1956</small>
• Peniculisa crassa <small>Uyeno & Nagasawa, 2010</small> – parasite of Lactoria fornasini
• Peniculisa elongata <small>Uyeno & Nagasawa, 2010</small> – parasite of Ostracion cubicus
• Peniculisa furcata <small>Krøyer, 1863</small> – parasite of Paramonacanthus frenatus (Peters, 1855), reported as syn. Paramonacanthus barnardi
• Peniculisa ohirugi <small>Uyeno & Nagasawa, 2010</small> – parasite of Pomacentrus nagasakiensis
• Peniculisa shiinoi <small>Izawa, 1965</small> – parasite of Canthigaster rivulata
• Peniculisa uchinah <small>Uyeno & Nagasawa, 2010</small> – parasite of Sufflamen fraenatum, Balistoides conspicillum, Rhinecanthus aculeatus, Sufflamen bursa, Sufflamen chrysopterum and Pervagor melanocephalus
• Peniculisa wilsoni <small>Radhakrishnan, 1977</small> – parasite of Diodon hystrix, Arothron immaculatus, Arothron hispidus and Diodon holocanthus

References