Right Whale Lice [Cyamus ovalis]
Description
Cyamus ovalis, or Right Whale Lice, is a species of amphipod crustaceans found exclusively on Right Whales. They are ectoparasites, living off the skin and body fluids of their hosts. They have a special adaptation in the form of large, hook-like appendages which they use to cling onto the whale's skin.
Taxonomy
| Phylum |
Flatworms
Platyhelminthes
|
|---|---|
| Class |
Cestoda
Cestoda
|
| Order |
Trypanorhyncha
Trypanorhyncha
|
| Family |
Triloculariidae
Triloculariidae
|
| Genus |
Whale Lice
Cyamus
|