SOME BIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF BOPYRID ISOPOD PARASITE Epipenaeon ingens Nobili (1906)

Mehmet Gökoğlu*  Serkan Teker   Jale Korun  David Julian   Aycan Ulutaş
 
Akdeniz University
Fisheries Faculty Antalya/Turkey
srkntkr@gmail.com
 

This study was carried out with a Bobyrid parasite Epipeneon ingens found on F. aztecus in the Gulf of Antalya. Bopyrid isopod  Epipenaeon ingens is a branchial parasite from the subfamily Orbioninae.

The parasites were carefully removed from the branchial cavity of the shrimp with the help of scissors and a pair of pens. Each parasite was separated, sexed and weighed in 0,001 g precision scale and measured in 0,01mm caliper. Parasites were separated according to the presence of eggs in the brood pouch of gravid female parasites or absence of eggs. The eggs were dissevered from the brood pouch of gravid female parasites and weighed. Eggs were counted by the method of gravimetric under stereomicroscope and egg diameter was measured and photographed.

The relationship of parasites total length (TL) and total weight (TW) was found W=0,000020L3,5066r²=0,8739 for females and W=0,0001L2,3349 r² = 0,7945 for males. The brood ranged between 16,000 and 279,000 eggs and average number of eggs was found 173,314 ± 18,169 (SE). Egg diameters were found 167µ - 237µ. The smallest female parasite having eggs in sac was 14,36 mm long and 0,352g weighed. The smallest male parasite on the gravid female parasite was 3,28mm length and 0,001g weight.