Kingdom Animalia Infraclass Cirripedia Scientific name Anelasma Higher classification Anelasmatidae Order Goose barnacle | Subphylum Crustacea Species A. squalicola Phylum Arthropoda Rank Genus | |
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Family Anelasmatidae
Gruvel, 1905 Similar Barnacle, Acmella nana, Velvet belly lanternshark, Crustacean, Acanthopleura granulata | ||
Anelasma is a monotypic genus of parasitic goose barnacles. It contains a single species, Anelasma squalicola. The nominal species, however, has a very broad distribution and may in fact contain several undescribed species.
Anelasma are mesoparasitic barnacles that can be found attached to several species of deep-sea squaloid sharks, including at least black dogfish (Centroscyllium fabricii), combtooth dogfish (Centroscyllium nigrum), velvet belly lanternshark (Etmopterus spinax), fringefin lanternshark (E. schultzi), great lanternshark (E. princeps), brown lanternshark (E. unicolor), and southern lanternshark (E. granulosus). Anelasma are partially embedded in the flesh of the host, and seem to retard sexual development of their hosts, apparently castrating them.