Introduction to Parasitic Crustacea: State of Knowledge and Future Trends

Abstract

Parasitic crustaceans are globally considered to be some of the most successful and diverse parasites. They are ubiquitous in the aquatic environment and are known to occur on a wide range of vertebrate and invertebrate hosts. However, despite their common occurrence and large numbers, a book dedicated exclusively to these parasites has not been published. The book presented here provides detailed information on the major parasitic Crustacea groups, including those from Amphipoda, Ascothoracida, Branchiura, Cirripedia, Copepoda, Isopoda, Ostracoda, Pentastomida and Tantulocarida. Each chapter discusses the different aspects of the biology of these parasites, allowing for a better understanding of how the parasitic Crustacea function and for direct comparisons between different parasitic crustacean groups. In this book the authors review the history of discovery of the parasitic Crustacea; their biodiversity and taxonomy; their adaptations and types of crustacean symbiotic associations; their life cycle and life history strategies; their effects on their hosts; their role as vectors, hypersymbionts and hyperparasites and their molecular contribution (parasitic barnacles only), as well as their ecological significance. In addition to reviewing all of the relevant literature, new and unpublished data are included in all of the chapters. Altogether, this book highlights the morphological and ecological attributes that have made the parasitic Crustacea successful and aims to inspire and encourage current and future research into this ecological and economical important field of study.