The Current State of Knowledge on Parasitic Copepods (Siphonostomatoida: Pandaridae) of Elasmobranchs
Author(s)
Date Issued
2023
Type
article
Volume
26
Issue
2
Start Page
475
End Page
509
Abstract
Elasmobranch fishes comprise sharks and sawfish (infraclass Selachii), and rays, skates, and stingrays (infraclass Batoidea). Many elasmobranch species are popular fish exhibited in zoos and public aquariums. They may serve as hosts for a great variety of parasites. Among these, parasitic copepods are commonly known to cause serious damage to their hosts. In this paper, we summarize and analyse the existing literature on the pandarid copepods (Siphonostomatoida Burmeister, 1835) of elasmobranch fishes, as it relates to their diversity, life cycles, host-specificity, biogeography, pathology, and available treatments.