Mytilicola orientalis

Mytilicola orentalis (‘red worm disease') is an intestinal copepod parasite of bivalves with a direct life cycle. It is native to the waters around Japan and was first described in the Japanese Sea. and was introduced to Europe in the 1960s and 70's with oyster imports.[2] Since then it has also been observed in the Wadden[3] and the Baltic Sea.[4] Host species include the blue mussels, the pacific oyster, and Japanese carpet shell.[2]

Mytilicola orientalis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Hexanauplia
Subclass: Copepoda
Order: Cyclopoida
Family: Mytilicolidae
Genus: Mytilicola
Species:
M. orentalis
Binomial name
Mytilicola orentalis
Mori, 1935 [1]

Ecology

Although this is a marine species, it has been observed in mussels in brackish water in the Kiel bay.[4]

The diet of this parasitic species in the blue mussel host consists of both host tissue and organic material in the gut of the host.[3] The latter means that in some respects the species can be seen as a commensal.

Females are often larger than males.[3]

References
  1. Mori, T. "Mytilicola orientalis, a new species of parasitic Copepoda". Zoological Magazine (Dobutsugaku Zasshi), Tokyo.
  2. Goedknegt, M. Anouk; Bedolfe, Sarah; Drent, Jan; van der Meer, Jaap; Thieltges, David W. (29 March 2018). "Impact of the invasive parasitic copepod Mytilicola orientalis on native blue mussels Mytilus edulis in the western European Wadden Sea" (PDF). Marine Biology Research. 14 (5): 497–507. doi:10.1080/17451000.2018.1442579. S2CID 33574045.
  3. Goedknegt, M. Anouk; Shoesmith, David; Jung, A. Sarina; Luttikhuizen, Pieternella C.; van der Meer, Jaap; Philippart, Catharina J. M.; van der Veer, Henk W.; Thieltges, David W. (2018). "Trophic relationship between the invasive parasitic copepod Mytilicola orientalis and its native blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) host". Parasitology. 145 (6): 814–821. doi:10.1017/S0031182017001779.
  4. Brenner, Matthias; Schulze, Jona; Fischer, Johanna; Wegner, K. Mathias (2019). "First record of the parasitic copepod (Mytilicola orientalis Mori, 1935) in blue mussels (Mytilus spp.) of the Baltic Sea". BioInvasions Records. 8 (3): 623–632. doi:10.3391/bir.2019.8.3.19.
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