| Summary: | Copepods are a common component of the ectoparasitic assemblages of all
kinds of fish, from all environments and ecosystems (Boxshall & Halsey, 2004).
The family Ergasilidae comprises the most common parasites of freshwater fish
and the highest diversity is found in the genus Ergasilus Von Nordmann, 1832,
with more than 180 nominal species (El-Rashidy & Boxshall, 2001; Montú &
Boxshall, 2002; Boxshall & Halsey, 2004). Ergasilus has a worldwide distribution
except in Antarctica (Boxshall & Defaye, 2008; Thatcher & Brasil-Sato, 2008),
inhabiting estuarine and freshwater ecosystems. Only the females are found on
their fish hosts, whereas the males are free-living in the zooplankton (Amado et al.,
1995; Suárez-Morales & Santana-Piñeros, 2008; Thatcher & Brasil-Sato, 2008).
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