Cymothoa exigua

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Cymothoa exigua, also commonly known as the tongue-eating louse, is a parasitic isopod of the family Cymothoidae. As an ectoparasite, it lives on the outside of the host, and is found throughout the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Adults grow up to an inch in length and are among the largest isopods recorded. C. exigua are hermaphrodites, and are all born as a male before switching to female later in life. As such, female C. exigua are generally larger than males. Many species of Cymothoa have been identified, and only Cymothoidae isopods are known to consume and replace the host's organs. Other species of isopods known to parasitize fish in this way include Cymothoa borbonica and Ceratothoa imbricata. Cymothoids are adapted to specific areas of attachment on the host, including scale-clingers, mouth- or gill-dwellers, and flesh-burrowers. Cymothoa exigua attaches itself to a host as a juvenile, entering through a fish’s gills. It will crawl into the fish's mouth and clamp down onto its tongue...

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