The fine structure and function of the cephalic appendages of the branchiuran parasite,
Argulus japonicus
Thiele
The fish parasite Argulus japonicus Thiele (Crustacea: Branchiura) has recently been introduced into Britain and is now established in the wild. A. japonicus , an ectoparasite attaching to, and feeding on, the skin of its host, is a potentially serious pathogen of native freshwater fishes. The anatomy of the attachment and feeding structures is described using light and electron microscopy. The primary attachment organs are the suckers derived from the maxillules. The extrinsic musculature of the suckers comprises two major muscle groups: the suction muscles which insert on the floor of the sucker and generate suction, and the cup muscles which control the orientation and movement of the sucker as a whole. The inner wall of the sucker cup comprises two hoops of thickened cuticle and provides the rigidity necessary to prevent the sucker from collapsing. These hoops are hinged to allow extra movement of the distal hoop plus its marginal m em brane when forming a seal onto the surface of the host. Numerous mucous glands are present in the floor of the sucker. The elongate mouth tube represents a ventral outgrowth of the head bearing a small labrum and labium distally. The homology of the labium is confirmed by the arrangement of its paired muscles, which originate on the undersurface of the ventral cephalic tendon and pass down through channels in the suboesophageal ganglion. The labrum lacks muscles. The ontogeny of the mouth tube, the adult m andibular musculature and the possible feeding mechanism are described. The preoral spine lies in the ventral midline of the body anterior to the mouth tube. It consists of a tapering spine carried on a long eversible sheath. When fully retracted the spine and sheath virtually disappear into the body. As the spine retracts the cuticle of the proximal sheath becomes inverted. The epithelium beneath this sheath cuticle is syncytial and is separated from the cuticle-lined, central duct of the spine by a fluid matrix which can be displaced as the spine is retracted. The fluid matrix appears to be secreted by the epithelial cells of the sheath cuticle. Retraction is by means of paired retractor muscles which originate dorsal to the midgut and pass down through the nerve ring. These muscles shorten to about 25% of their maximum length during extreme retraction.