This animal is a parasite that has many characteristics. One of the characteristics is the organism's size. It is 0.79-1.6 inches long and 0.04-0.08 inches wide. This parasite affects freshwater fish related to bluegill called a bream. This parasite lays its eggs in its host. Different hosts come and get infected by eating them. Then the egg hatches in the intestine and penetrates its way into the body cavity. There it gets fully developed and can reach to about 1 inch long. The habitats of this parasite are slow rivers, lakes, ponds, marches, and reservoirs. It is said they are found in North Eurasia, Europe, Siberia, central Asia, and Russian Far east. These parasites are found in about 30 species of freshwater fish. The population is unknown but they are growing. When there are more fish it helps for these parasites to lay their eggs.

 

These parasites feed on nutrients from the tegument. The tegument is the covering of a living organism. Without fish this parasite would die. They are at the bottom in the food web. This animal has lots of predators because it is so small. The predators are practically anything that lives in freshwater. However this organism is so small it is hard for another organism to see it. The things I thought were interesting were that it takes a certain number of these parasites to cause a disease known as Caryophyllaeusis.

 

Another interesting fact is that they have many predators but most times they escape because they are small. I learned that this animal has many characteristics including its size. Also how it reproduces. Lastly, I learned that they can cause diseases that can be harmful to humans.

 

Author: Joseph V

Published: 2/11/2008

 

Sources:

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