Infection of hottentot Pachymetopon blochii by the fish louse Anilocra capensis (Crustacea: Isopoda) in False Bay, South Africa

The frequency of occurrence, location on the host, abundance, and size and sex distributions of ectoparasitic isopods, Anilocra capensis, on hottentot Pachymetopon blochii from False Bay, South Africa, were investigated. A. capensis occurred on 5.2 % of examined hosts and were usually attached above the operculum, posterodorsally to the eye. They did not show any preference for a specific sex of host, or side of the body. Parasites occurred most frequently in pairs (65.6 % of cases), or alone (32.8 %), with infection by more than two parasites rare (1.6 % of cases). The 604 P. blochii collected ranged in size from 13.0–50.9 cm, but parasitized individuals were only found amongst smaller size classes (14.8–31.2 cm), with only one individual larger than 28 cm parasitized. A. capensis