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image - Coggle Diagram
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Life Stages 
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3. Family Caligidae-Caligus spp
Skin parasite (does not attack the gills-ectoparasites)
Adult males are parasitic
4. Family Lernaeopodidae-Ommatokoita elongata
Parasites of marine and freshwater fish
Adult females permanently anchored on their host
Family Lernaeopodidae-Ommatokoita elongata
There are two possible reasons for the copepod's attachment site. Shark skin is covered in microscopic, teeth-like structures call denticles which can make it difficult for parasites to attach themselves to skin (though some species of parasitic copepods manage). Secondly the eye is considered to be a "immunologically benign environment" for parasites, thus such an attachment is less likely to illicit an immune response.
While the parasite can cause significant damage to the cornea and result in blindness for the host, most sharks seem unaffected by the presence of the parasite and many sharks have the copepod in both eyes, strangely enough.
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