The parasitic isopod Anilocra physodes, as a novel food source for the lizardfish Synodus saurus (Synodontidae)
How to cite: Narvaez, P., Barreiros, J. P., & Soares, M. C. (2015). The parasitic isopod Anilocra physodes, as a novel food source for the lizardfish Synodus saurus (Synodontidae). Cybium, 39(4): 313-314. https://doi.org/10.26028/CYBIUM/2015-394-008
During a wide project carried out on the behavior and reproduction of the Atlantic lizardfish Synodus saurus in the Azores (NE Atlantic), specimens of the ectoparasitic isopod Anilocra physodes were discovered in various stomachs contents of these piscivorous predatory fish. This intriguing result allowed us to conclude for the first time that fish species can ingest their own parasites, which becomes doubly beneficial, since it releases them from parasites but it is also a new food source.