Whale louse
Cyamus boopis (female)
The Walläuse ( Cyamidae ) are a family of amphipods ( Amphipoda ) living as ectoparasites on the skin of whales.
Appearance
The Walläuse are very strongly flattened, the abdomen is greatly reduced. The legs, especially the posterior three pairs of legs, have become claw-like extensions that allow the animals to cling to their hosts.
Way of life
The Walläuse are usually very specifically bound to a whale species. They remain throughout their development to their host and undergo no swimming phase. The host binding is more pronounced in baleen whales than with toothed whales, it is possible to observe specific types of Walläuse in almost every species of whale. When sperm whale the infestation is also gender specific. The Wallau Cyamus catodontis lives exclusively on the skin of male sperm whales, while Neocyamus physeteris is found only in females and young animals.
The Walläuse attach themselves to parts of the body, where they are protected from water currents. They can be found mainly on the natural body openings or at wound sites in the baleen whales, especially in the abdominal folds. For slow- floating baleen whales can be up to 100,000 copies per Wal happen in toothed whales or faster floating baleen whales, the number of individuals is much lower.
In some species the Walläuse the infestation of the hosts with barnacles ( Cirripedia ) as the barnacles ( Balanidae ) seems to play a major role.
As a dietary used the Walläusen especially algae, which settle on the host's body. They also bring the whale in minor skin damage, but not play a major pathological role.
The development of Walläuse is obviously closely linked to the life of the whales and their migrations.
System
- Genus Cyamus Cyamus antarcticensis
- Cyamus bahamondei
- Cyamus balaenopterae
- Cyamus boopis
- Cyamus catodontis ( on the skin of male sperm whales )
- Cyamus ceti
- Cyamus erraticus
- Cyamus eschrichtii
- Cyamus gracilis
- Cyamus kessleri
- Cyamus mesorubraedon
- Cyamus monodontis
- Cyamus nodosus
- Cyamus orcini
- Cyamus orubraedon
- Cyamus ovalis
- Cyamus scammoni
- Isocyamus antarcticensis
- Isocyamus delphinii
- Isocyamus deltabrachium
- Isocyamus globicipitis
- Isocyamus kogiae
- Neocyamus physeteris ( on the skin of female sperm whales )
- Platycyamus flaviscutatus
- Platycyamus thompsoni
- Scutocyamus antipodensis
- Scutocyamus parvus
- Sirenocyamus rhytinae
- Syncyamus aequus
- Syncyamus ilheusensis
- Syncyamus pseudorcae