Gulf Sacculina [Loxothylacus texanus]
Description
Loxothylacus texanus, commonly known as the Gulf Sacculina, is a parasitic barnacle that infects blue crabs. The species is characterized by a complex life cycle, involving parasitic castration of its host. It is endemic to the Gulf of Mexico and the South Atlantic coast of the United States. The female of the species injects itself into the crab and eventually gains control over the crab's reproductive system, causing the crab to care for the parasite's eggs as if they were its own.
Taxonomy
| Phylum |
Arthropods
Arthropoda
|
|---|---|
| Class |
Crustaceans
Malacostraca
|
| Order |
Isopods
Isopoda
|
| Family |
Parasitic Isopods
Bopyridae
|
| Genus |
Loxothylacus
Loxothylacus
|