2005, a red snapper parasitized by what could be C. exigua was discovered in the United Kingdom. As the parasite is normally found south of the Gulf of California, Mexico, this led to speculation that the parasite's range may be expanding; however, the isopod possibly traveled from the Gulf of California in the snapper's mouth, and its appearance in the UK was an isolated incident. Reproduction Not much is known about the lifecycle of C. exigua. It exhibits sexual reproduction. The species starts as a juvenile in a short, free-living stage in the water column. Juveniles likely first attach to the gills of a fish and become males. As they mature, they become females, with mating likely occurring on the gills. The fertilized eggs are held in a marsupium, similar to a kangaroo. If no female is present within two males, one male can turn into a female after it grows to in length. The female then makes her way to the fish's mouth, where she uses her front claws to attach to the fish's tongue. Influence on humans C. exigua is not believed to be harmful to humans, except it may bite if separated from its host and handled. In Puerto Rico, C. exigua was the leading subject of a lawsuit against a large supermarket chain; it is found in snappers from the Eastern Pacific, which are shipped worldwide for commercial consumption. The customer in the lawsuit claimed to have been poisoned by eating an isopod cooked inside a snapper. The case, however, was dropped on the grounds that isopods are not poisonous to humans and some are even consumed as part of a regular diet. In popular media An image of three clown fish, each with a parasitic isopod visible in its mouth, was shortlisted in the underwater category of the 2017 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition of the Natural History Museum, London. In the 2022 surrealist horror game, How Fish Is Made, a parasitic isopod uses its host fish as a mouthpiece. Interacting with this host will trigger a cutscene in which the isopod performs a song and dance. References External links Images and discussion Cymothoida Parasitic crustaceans Crustaceans of the eastern Pacific Ocean Crustaceans described in 1884 Taxa named by Jørgen Matthias Christian Schiødte Tongue disorders Xenotransplantation Parasites of fish