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Description
I was doing some reading on Lernaeopodidae parasitic copepods and it occurs to me that their pair of arm-like attachment appendages have some very vague resemblance to the anterior appendages of anomalocarids. Thus, this was born - an ectoparasitic anomalocarid inspired by parasites like this ([link]).
The picture depicts a pair of females attached to the eye of their placoderm host. The anterior appendages are deeply embedded within the lens of the eye, which provides an anchor point for the parasite, and allows it to moves its ventral mouth over the eye and graze on the surface of the cornea
The top individual is a newly attached female which has yet to metamorphose into the adult form, whereas the lower individual is a fully mature female. Note the little critter clinging on for dear life at the posterior end of the big mature female - that is a dwarf male - a feature which has commonly evolved in many different species of parasitic crustaceans as well as other animals such as the angler fish.
The picture depicts a pair of females attached to the eye of their placoderm host. The anterior appendages are deeply embedded within the lens of the eye, which provides an anchor point for the parasite, and allows it to moves its ventral mouth over the eye and graze on the surface of the cornea
The top individual is a newly attached female which has yet to metamorphose into the adult form, whereas the lower individual is a fully mature female. Note the little critter clinging on for dear life at the posterior end of the big mature female - that is a dwarf male - a feature which has commonly evolved in many different species of parasitic crustaceans as well as other animals such as the angler fish.
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Comments5
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What does the male eat? Does the female secrete a nutrient fluid, or does he suck her blood, or does he occasionally crawl across her and eat bits of the cornea too?