Cyamus boopis

Cyamus boopis is a species of whale louse in the family Cyamidae.

Cyamus boopis
Dorsal view
Ventral view
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Subphylum:
Crustacea
Class:
Malacostraca
Order:
Amphipoda
Family:
Cyamidae
Genus:
Cyamus
Species:
C. boopis
Binomial name
Cyamus boopis
Lütken, 1870 
Synonyms 
  • Cyamus ceti Chilton, 1883
  • Cyamus elongatus Hiro, 1938
  • Cyamus pacificus Lütken, 1873
  • Cyamus suffuses Dall, 1872
  • Paracyamus boopis

This is an ectoparasite that lives exclusively on humpback whales. The infestation is most concentrated around the genital apertures, but occurs on all parts of the body, most commonly where there is an infestation of the barnacle species Coronula diadema.

Whale lice will promptly try to attach themselves to people when handling whales during processing.

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