Bucephalus mytili explained

Bucephalus mytili is a parasitic flatworm of the class Trematoda.^[1] It is a parasite of fish and a parasitic castrator of the mussel Mytilus edulis, where it destroys the mussel's gonads and causes the mussel to grow much larger than normal.^[2]

The cercaria of B. mytili were described in 1935 occurring in Mytilus edulis in Wales. They are the sporocysts, which are long and tangled within the mollusk host's digestive gland, and cause parasitic castration of the host.^[3]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Bucephalus mytili Cole, 1935 AphiaID: 109154. ERMS European Register of Marine Species. 19 February 2011.
2. Kuris. Armand M. . Trophic interactions: similarity of parasitic castrators to parasitoids . . 1974 . 49 . 2 . 129–148 . 10.1086/408018. 22171885 .
3. Book: Russell, Frederick S.. Frederick Stratten Russell

   . Frederick Stratten Russell. Advances in Marine Biology. 1967. Academic Press. 0-12-026105-7. 209–211.