Image:Http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/images/stckxchange tonguelouse.jpg

Cymothoa exigua
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Subphylum: Crustacea Class: Malacostraca Order: Isopoda Family: Cymothoidae Genus: Cymothoa Species: C. exigua
Binomial name
Cymothoa exigua (Schioedte & Meinert, 1884)

Cymothoa exigua is a parasitic crustacean of the family Cymothoidae. This parasite attaches itself at the base of a fish's tongue with the claws on its front three pairs of legs, and extracts blood. As the parasite grows, less and less blood is able to reach the tongue, and eventually the organ atrophies from lack of blood. The parasite then replaces the fish's tongue with its own body, by attaching to the muscles of the tongue stub. The fish is able to use the parasite just like a normal tongue, except that it has to share its food with the parasite. It appears that the parasite does not cause any other damage to the host fish ^[1]. Once C. exigua replaces the tongue, it supplements its diet with food particles, thereby relieving strain on the host's circulatory system. This is the only known case of a parasite functionally replacing a host organ. Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. ... “Animalia” redirects here. ... Subphyla and Classes Subphylum Trilobitomorpha Trilobita - trilobites (extinct) Subphylum Chelicerata Arachnida - spiders,scorpions, etc. ... Classes & Subclasses Branchiopoda Phyllopoda Sarsostraca Remipedia Cephalocarida Maxillopoda Thecostraca Tantulocarida Branchiura Pentastomida Mystacocarida Copepoda Ostracoda Myodocopa Podocopa Malacostraca Phyllocarida Hoplocarida Eumalacostraca The nauplius larva of a dendrobranchiate Porcellio scaber, the common rough woodlouse, a terrestrial crustacean Pollicipes polymerus, the gooseneck barnacle Glyphea pseudastacus, a fossil glypheoid The crustaceans (Crustacea) are... // Subclasses Eumalacostraca Hoplocarida Phyllocarida See text for orders. ... Suborders Anthuridea Asellota Calabozoida Epicaridea Flabellifera Microcerberidea Oniscidea Phreatoicidea Valvifera Wikispecies has information related to: Isopoda Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Isopoda Isopods are one of the most diverse orders of crustaceans, however they do not have gills, but with many species living in all environments, and are common... In biology, binomial nomenclature is the formal system of naming species. ... A parasite is an organism that spends a significant portion of its life in or on the living tissue of a host organism and which causes harm to the host without immediately killing it. ... Classes & Subclasses Branchiopoda Phyllopoda Sarsostraca Remipedia Cephalocarida Maxillopoda Thecostraca Tantulocarida Branchiura Pentastomida Mystacocarida Copepoda Ostracoda Myodocopa Podocopa Malacostraca Phyllocarida Hoplocarida Eumalacostraca The nauplius larva of a dendrobranchiate Porcellio scaber, the common rough woodlouse, a terrestrial crustacean Pollicipes polymerus, the gooseneck barnacle Glyphea pseudastacus, a fossil glypheoid The crustaceans (Crustacea) are... Atrophy is the partial or complete wasting away of a part of the body. ... Diagram of the human circulatory system. ...

A stage play involving this phenomenon has been written and performed. The play focuses on a dream that playwright Tennessee Williams has, in which his tongue is consumed by a parasite and he loses the ability to speak. The play's author is the American playwright R. J. Tsarov, and the play first premiered at the annual Tennessee Williams Festival in New Orleans in March 2003 ^[2]. Romeo and Juliet by Ford Madox Brown A play, written by a playwright, or dramatist, is a form of literature, almost always consisting of dialog between characters, and intended for performance rather than reading. ... Thomas Lanier Williams III (March 26, 1911 – February 25, 1983), better known by the pseudonym Tennessee Williams, was a major American playwright and one of the prominent playwrights of the twentieth century. ... Nickname: Location in the State of Louisiana and the United States Coordinates: Country United States State Louisiana Parish Orleans Founded 1718 Government  - Mayor Ray Nagin (D) Area  - City  350. ...

There are many species of Cymothoa, but only C. exigua is known to consume and replace its host's tongue.

A fish parasitised by what could be Cymothoa exigua was recently discovered in the United Kingdom, leading to speculation that the parasite's range may be expanding ^[3]. The animal in question will be put on display in the Horniman Museum ^[4]. Categories: Museum stubs | London attractions ...

References