Lepeophtheirus pectoralis Lepeophtheirus pectoralis Lepeophtheirus pectoralis is a species of parasitic copepod. It is a parasite of flatfish, the most frequent hosts being the European flounder ("Platichthys flesus"), the plaice ("Pleuronectes platessa"), and the dab ("Limanda limanda"). It feeds on the mucus, skin and blood of the fish, with oviferous females being found in the pectoral and pelvic fins of the host, while immature individuals and males are found in the rest of the body. Its life cycle consists of five phases and ten stages. The first two stages are free swimming nauplius I and II, while the third stage is the
Comb flounder Comb flounder The comb flounder, "Marleyella bicolorata", is a flatfish of the family Pleuronectidae. It is a demersal fish that lives on saltwater bottoms at depths of between . Its natural habitat is the tropical waters of the western Indian Ocean, from KwaZulu-Natal and Mozambique in Southern Africa, to coastal Tanzania and Kenya in the African Great lakes region, to Somalia in the Horn of Africa, to Karnataka and Maharashtra in India. It can grow up to in length. The comb flounder is a right-eyed flatfish. Its upper (eyed) side is dark brown, marked with vaguely cruciform dark spots and