Aegidae Explained

The Aegidae are a family of isopod crustaceans. The adults are temporary parasites of fish, feeding on their hosts' blood before dropping off to digest the meal.^[1] They differ from members of the family Cirolanidae in having only three pairs of hook-like pereiopods, whereas in Cirolanidae all seven pairs of pereiopods are hooked.^[2] The family was first described by Adam White in 1850.^[3]

The family contains the following genera:^[4]

• Aega Leach, 1815
• Aegapheles Bruce, 2009
• Aegiochus Bovallius, 1885
• Alitropus H. Milne-Edwards, 1840
• Epulaega Bruce, 2009
• Rocinela Leach, 1818
• Syscenus Harger, 1880
• Xenuraega Tattersall, 1909

Notes and References

1. Book: Sol Felty Light . James T. Carlton . 2007 . The Light and Smith Manual: Intertidal Invertebrates from Central California to Oregon . 4th . . 9780520239395 . Isopoda . Richard C. Brusca, Vánia R. Coelho & Stefano Taiti . 503–542 . https://books.google.com/books?id=64jgZ1CfmB8C&pg=PA513.
2. Book: Roger Tory Peterson . Kenneth L. Gosner . 1999 . A Field Guide to the Atlantic Seashore: from the Bay of Fundy to Cape Hatteras . 24 . Peterson Field Guide . . 9780618002092 . 225 .
3. 1850. White, A.. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/49050355.
4. 2011 . Aegidae . Isopod . 118272 . January 12, 2012.