ID the Reef Hitchhiker

There is a marine hitchhiker in this reef scene waiting to be identified. Image by Denise Nielsen Tackett.

It came out of the archives as CORAL editors are working on the upcoming magazine issue about Reef Hitchhikers, and it was found among a batch of images of life forms whose identification had previous stumped even some veteran marine aquarists.

The first five readers to correctly identify the invasive animal hidden in this image will win a free REEF LIFE 2016 Wall Calendar.

Just leave your answer (scientific name and/or common name), your name, and email address in the COMMENTS box below.

Credits
Image by the late Denise Nielsen Tackett. Courtesy Microcosm, Ltd. and Tackett & Tackett Productions.

16 Comments

ralph buglione on October 2, 2015 at 5:01 pm

The reef hitch hiker is a isopod it eats the tounge then ides the fish as a host

Mike Daniels on October 2, 2015 at 5:04 pm

Cymothoa exigua.

mike zalewski on October 2, 2015 at 5:06 pm

the tongue-eating louse or Cymothoa exigua. that is what i think it is!

Guy walton on October 2, 2015 at 5:11 pm

Yeah its an isopod or Cymothoa exigua

Chris Spengler on October 2, 2015 at 5:12 pm

Cymothoa exigua, tongue eating louse

Ken Sump on October 2, 2015 at 5:14 pm

Cymothoa Exigua !!

Bill Weaver on October 2, 2015 at 5:26 pm

Dang these guys are quick. Cymothoa Exigua

Kat on October 2, 2015 at 5:30 pm

Isopod in the mouth. Poor fish.

Samantha on October 2, 2015 at 5:56 pm

Cymothoa Exigua… known as a tongue eating louse

Barbara Bengtson on October 2, 2015 at 7:52 pm

Isopod in fishes mouth

Doug Carbine on October 2, 2015 at 8:42 pm

Grrrrrrr, I’m too slow. Tongue eating louse, Cymothoa exigua

Dave Davis on October 3, 2015 at 2:40 am

Cymothoa exigua, I know I missed it but here’s to my one new thing learned today.

Reef To Rainforest on October 3, 2015 at 9:24 am

Editor’s Note

Nice work everyone. When we first got this image almost 10 years ago from one of our favorite underwater photographers, the late Denise Nielsen Tackett, neither she nor anyone in our offices knew what we looking at, except that it had two little black eyes.

It is, indeed, Cymothoa exigua, the Tongue-eating Isopod or Tongue-eating Fish Louse. Wikipedia has quite a good description here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cymothoa_exigua

Everyone who got it right up to this post will get a free copy of the 2016 REEF LIFE Calendar, which features other images by Denise Tackett and her dive partner Larry Tackett.

Thanks to all who posted answers.

James