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Reposted by IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group

Petra Korlević @petrathepostdoc.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

best we can do is a Sabethes

photo of a persons finernail, with a big sabethes mosquito sitting on it, it has a shimmery blue carapace and little fans on their midlegs, with the hindlegs being curved over the body in an arch display

IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group @iucnparasites.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

The European Eel is one of the most widespread fish in Europe, found in freshwater ecosystems throughout most of the continent, but it’s also one of Europe's most imperiled fish. Since the 1970s the eel population has plummeted by over 90%, making it Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.

The IUCN Red List page for the European Eel (Anguilla anguilla), listing it as Critically Endangered (CR).

Page: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/60344/152845178

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Reposted by IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group

Elizabeth Beston @elizabethbeston.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

Talking of parasitic copepods (see yesterday’s post), this one appeared in my sample a few months back. Check out the ‘straw’ that’s as long as its body. I think this is part of its mouth that it uses to penetrate a host and suck out delicious food. Very cool! #marineplankton 🦑

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Reposted by IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group

Elizabeth Beston @elizabethbeston.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

I think this is awesome! This fella is a parasitic copepod from the family Pennellidae (order Siphonostomatoida). I love a parasite, and I love watching these fellas move! #marineplankton 🦑

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IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group @iucnparasites.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Congratulations to Richard Hasegawa and iNaturalist on the rare Golden Gate #leech (Helobdella californica) sighting!

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IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group @iucnparasites.bsky.social · 10/05/2026

Parasites live close to (and sometimes inside) their hosts for most of their lives, so how do they approach the problems of parenthood? That’s the topic of today’s special #MothersDay post!

Female argasid tick with a clutch of eggs.

Credit: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Argas_spec_columbidae.jpg

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Reposted by IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group

Veeloxxy Bites @the-episiarch.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

The Worm In The Worm: Aborjinia is a genus of nematode worm which is found in the deep sea, from ~1000 to >8000 m below sea level. The larval stages are parasites of marine invertebrates such as polychaete worms. 🧪 zookeys.pensoft.net/article/1118...

The worm in the centre is a polychaete worm in the Terebelus genus and it is parasitised by a juvenile Aborjinia nematode worm. Encircling them is an adult Aborjinia nematode worm

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IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group @iucnparasites.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

Despite its name being Latin for "false flea", Pseudopulex is a very real and very ancient #flea genus from the time of the dinosaurs!

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IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group @iucnparasites.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

To finish #InverteFest on a high note, with the help of Buglife Scotland we'd like to discuss an ongoing and promising #conservation program aimed at a parasite that carries a long history with humanity: the European Medicinal Leech (Hirudo medicinalis)!

A European Medicinal Leech (Hirudo medicinalis) seen in the water. It is dark green with yellow bands running lengthwise down its body. One of its suckers is visible at the bottom of the image.

Credit: Georgy Vinogradov, iNaturalist, https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/214144212

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IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group @iucnparasites.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

After highlighting our IUCN colleagues in yesterday's #InverteFest post, it's time to tell you about our own efforts with one of the flagship species of the Parasite Specialist Group and parasite #conservation as a whole: the Ryukyu Rabbit Tick (Haemaphysalis pentalagi)!

Dorsal view of a male Ryukyu Rabbit Tick (Haemaphysalis pentalagi), a brown tick with a cream-colored shovelhead shape on its body. A scalebar at the bottom reads "0.2 mm"

Credit: Takamasa Nemoto

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IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group @iucnparasites.bsky.social · 28/04/2026

For today's #InverteFest post we'd like to briefly acknowledge some of the other IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) specialist groups that work on protecting other invertebrate parasite taxa and their relatives, some of which may surprise you!

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IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group @iucnparasites.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Reintroductions are an indispensable tool for conservationists aiming to restore threatened species, and there exist countless examples of their success with free-living animals. However, are there any examples of this with parasites? Let us surprise you this #InverteFest with the answer: Yes!

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IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group @iucnparasites.bsky.social · 26/04/2026

In recent years, citizen science programs have been a boon for conservation biologists, allowing easy access to species records from around the world. On today's #InverteFest post, we'll tell you how citizen science can help in the growing field of parasite #conservation!

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IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group @iucnparasites.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

Before we can protect a species, we have to ask ourselves: is it threatened with extinction, and if so, why? With parasites these questions can be difficult to answer, but as you'll see this #InverteFest, there are ways we can find out.

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Reposted by IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group

Petra Korlević @petrathepostdoc.bsky.social · 24/04/2026

for day 1 of the April edition of #InverteFest i'm channeling my inner @ianfay.bsky.social and drawing some biblically accurate Buzzwoles 🦟 this should all be blamed on @franzanth.bsky.social

a really silly digital doodle of a 3x2 grid of the pokemon buzzwole, a buff red mosquito with absolutely bulging biceps and pecs, 4 yellow wings, and teeny legs, showing off their muscles in various typical musclebutt poses, with little red sparkles around.

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IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group @iucnparasites.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

For this April's #InverteFest, we're planning to share examples of parasite #conservation in the real world, but first we need to establish our mission: We look at three broad parasite groups: worms, insects, and arachnids. But what are these animals, and why should we care about them?

"About us

The IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group is a network of volunteer scientists and practitioners who are working together to assess and conserve the world’s fascinating, unique, and important parasite species. Our group focuses specifically on metazoan parasites that infect vertebrate hosts, including parasitic worms (Cestoda; Trematoda; Acanthocephala; Nematoda; Hirudinea), parasitic insects (Phthiraptera; Siphonaptera; Hippoboscoidea; Oestridae; Polyctenidae; Cimicidae), and parasitic arachnids (Ixodida; Acariformes)."

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IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group @iucnparasites.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Today opens the Mollusc of the Year competition! Five molluscs are up for vote, and the winner gets its genome sequenced by Senckenberg! Today we'll make our case for a surprising parasitic #mollusc: the Mediterranean Vampire Snail (Cumia intertexta)!

A Mediterranean Vampire Snail (Cumia intertexta) feeding on a fish. The snail has a purplish-brown shell and is on the skin of a mottled brown-green fish, using a long red proboscis to penetrate the fish's skin and feed on blood.
Credit: Senckenberg

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IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group @iucnparasites.bsky.social · 07/04/2026

The Parasite Specialist Group has published a new paper on assessing and conserving wild parasite species! The first link below is a DOI, while the second link will allow you to view and download the whole paper until May 23rd. doi.org/10.1016/j.pt... authors.elsevier.com/a/1mtNP5Eb1x...

A cover to the March 2026 edition of Trends in Parasitology, showing a yellow-brown snail infected with bright green Leucochloridium worms in its eyestalks, perched on the leaf of a plant. The background is black and speckled with droplets of rain or mist.
"Trends in Parasitology
A Cell Press Journal
Parasite coloration
Volume 42 | Number 3 | March 2026 | ISSN 1471–4922"

A screenshot of the header of the article as it appears on the Science Direct website.
"Opinion
Parasite conservation now: turning knowledge into action
Skylar R. Hopkins, Chelsea L. Wood
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2026.03.009"

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IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group @iucnparasites.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

On this #AprilFoolsDay, we'd like to highlight the biggest parasites ever discovered by far: the Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms (MUTOs), with females reaching over 90 meters in length and males reaching 81 meters!

A male MUTO (left) offering a nuclear weapon as a courting gift to the larger female (right). Both MUTOs are giant black insect-like kanji with narrow red eyes. The sky is cloudy and rain can be seen in the foreground.
Source: Godzilla (2014)

The rib cage and vertebrae of a Godzilla-like kaiju called Dagon after being parasitized by the MUTOs as part of their life cycle.
Source: Godzilla (2014)

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Reposted by IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group

Genome Biology and Evolution @genomebiolevol.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

Oukkal et al. find that, unlike endoparasitoid hymenopterans, endoparasitoidism in tachinid flies is not associated with viral domestication, possibly due to differences in venom use and host immune system avoidance. 🔗 doi.org/10.1093/gbe/evag022 #genome #evolution #diptera #virus

GBE | Tachinid Endoparasitoid Flies do not Rely on Domesticated Viruses, Unlike Multiple Hymenopteran Lineages

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IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group @iucnparasites.bsky.social · 17/03/2026

The IUCN Species Survival Commission and the Indianapolis Zoo are running the Uproar Challenge, where you can vote on your favorite species to fund conservation efforts and we need your help! One of the species up for vote is the Devil's Tapeworm, a parasite exclusive to the Tasmanian Devil!

Indianapolis Zoo Uproar Conservation Challenge

The scolex ("head"), neck, and proglottids (body segments) of a Devil's Tapeworm (Dasyurotaenia robusta) as seen under a microscope against a black background. It is a light grey, with darker grey suckers on the scolex and slightly translucent proglottids at the bottom of the image.

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Reposted by IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group

Evelyndroid's Aperture Science and Bugge-Finding 🏳️‍⚧️🕷️ @apsciencebylyn.bsky.social · 24/03/2024

Not A Cat (Cuterebra buccata, a gorgeous botfly which apparently parasitizes bunnies? So large I thought she was a cicada when I first sighted her, in the last shot!) 🌿🪰

Face of a chonky fly; white below, reddish brown uppers. Eyes sort of a blue-gray, with a red marking in each like an exclamation point written in blood. Two dark structures on her back behind her wing attachment point loom like the ears of a cat.

Side view. She's very soft-looking. Her legs gave some red as well as the eye marking. Her chonky abdomen is white, speckled with glitter-like iridescent spots showing blue from this angle

Close view of one of her eyes and that red exclamation point. The dot is shaped like a drop of blood

Top view as I found her, on an oak shoot. Reddish brown uppers, and dark wings swept back.

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Reposted by IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group

Danna Staaf @dannastaaf.bsky.social · 27/12/2025

At last, the dicyemid life cycle for #InverteFest! These absolute weirdos infect ONLY cephalopod kidneys; they are worms of discerning taste. 🦑🌊🐙🧪🐡

A detailed comic panel illustrating the life cycle of dicyemid parasites. Top text: "Despite their simple bodies of just a few cells, dicyemids have incredibly complex life cycles."
Below that, a long brownish worm labeled "rhombogen" and a short brownish blob labeled "vermiform" are connected by arrows. The arrow leading from the rhombogen to the vermiform is "1. Adults make babies asexually" and the arrow leading from the vermiform to the rhombogen is "2. which grow into more adults."
A separate arrow leads from the vermiform to a different brownish worm shape labeled "nematogen" and this arrow is "3. Sometimes they grow into different adults." An arrow from the nematogen to eggs and sperm is "4. which make babies sexually." An arrow leads from the eggs and sperm to the absolute cutest part of the life cycle, a round blob that looks like it has huge headlight eyes, though they are not actually eyes. The blob is labeled "infusoriform." An arrow leading from the infusoriform to an octopus is, "5. These different babies go infect new hosts!"
I'M SORRY IT'S NOT MY FAULT THAT PARASITE LIFE CYCLES ARE SO STINKING COMPLICATED OKAY

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IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group @iucnparasites.bsky.social · 25/12/2025

On this day of #Crustmas and #InverteFest, we're inviting you to learn about the strange and specialized crustacean parasites out there! Some will be instantly recognizable, but others are so specialized to parasitism that they don't resemble their free-living relatives in the slightest!

A Sacculina carcini barnacle parasitizing a swimming crab (Liocarcinus holsatus). The barnacle is yellow in contrast to the pale color of the crab and is highlighted by a circle around the crab's abdomen, brighter than the rest of the image.
Credit: Hans Hillewaert, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sacculina_carcini.jpg

A pentastomid (Linguatala serrata), a long worm-like parasite with a segmented body. It is mostly a pale gray color, with a darker streak along the front of its body flowing lengthwise. It is placed against a blue background.
Credit: Dennis Tappe & Dietrich W. Büttner, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Linguatula.jpg

A tongue-eating louse (Cymothoa exigua) in the mouth of a sand steenbras (Lithognathus mormyrus), held in a human hand. The fish is a metallic yellow-green color and only the head is visible, while the isopod is pale grey and just barely visible in the fish's mouth.
Credit: Marco Vinci, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cymothoa_exigua_parassita_Lithognathus_mormyrus.JPG

Three life stages of the salmon louse (Lepeophtheirus salmonis). At top is a mature female, trailed by two long, thin, pale egg strings. Its cephalothorax (to the right) is brown and patterned, while its genital segment (between the cephalothorax and the egg strings) is a darker reddish-brown. Below this female is another adult female, but without egg strings. It is similar in appearance to the female above it. At the bottom is an immature sea louse, smaller than the other two and with a much smaller genital segment, but otherwise similar in color. They are all against a white background.
Credit: Thomas Bjørkan, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Salmonlouse.jpg

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IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group @iucnparasites.bsky.social · 25/12/2025

With the coming of the holiday season and the beginning of #InverteFest, we wanted to wish our followers Happy Holidays and highlight some reindeer parasites in the process!

An adult reindeer warble fly (Hypoderma tarandi) sitting gently on top of a person's fingers. The fly is fuzzy, with a black head, a thorax of alternating black and pale yellow bands, and a reddish-brown abdomen. On the whole, the fly resembles a bumblebee. There is green moss in the background.
Credit: Matthew Zappa, iNaturalist, https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/23197023

An first-instar (L1) larva of the nematode Elaphostrongylus rangiferi. It is loosely coiled and appears to have a black midline and green spots across its body. The upper-left hand corner has the letter "M", identifying this as part of a larger figure of nematodes. A 50-µm vertical scale bar is present at the bottom right.
Credit: Loginova et al. (2023), https://doi.org/10.3390/d15050672

A reindeer nose botfly (Cephenemyia trompe) rested on a rock. It has a large yellow head with black eyes, a yellow-and-black thorax, and a yellow-red abdomen.
Credit: karainio, iNaturalist, https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/303416691

A lone caribou (Rangifer tarandus) photographed in Denali National Park, Alaska, United States. It has a brown head and body, with a white tail and a brown-white neck. It carries large antlers at the top of its head.
Credit: Diego Delso, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Caribú_(Rangifer_tarandus),_Parque_nacional_y_reserva_Denali,_Alaska,_Estados_Unidos,_2017-08-30,_DD_40.jpg

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IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group @iucnparasites.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

Shown here is one of New Zealand's most unique and charismatic parrot species: the kākāpō, threatened with extinction by the introduction of invasive species. But the decline of this parrot also includes the decline of its unique parasites, tracked over almost 800 years.

A kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus), a large, green, ground-dwelling parrot endemic to the forests of mainland New Zealand. This individual is named "Sirocco".
Credit: Chris Birmingham, Department of Conservation, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kakapo_Sirocco_1.jpg

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Veeloxxy Bites @the-episiarch.bsky.social · 09/10/2025

⚡Shocking truth⚡ about fish lice: I've written a post about Dolops discoidalis, a species of fish louse which also happens to be the first ectoparasite to be documented from the electric eel 🧪 #Invertebrate dailyparasite.blogspot.com/2025/10/dolo...

dailyparasite.blogspot.com

<i>Dolops discoidalis</i>

The electric eel , also known as poraquê , is a formidable animal. Not only is it capable of stunning its prey with an electrifying shock, ...

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IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group @iucnparasites.bsky.social · 11/10/2025

Rhinos are some of the most beautiful and unique land animals on the planet, and the same can be said of the Gyrostigma bot flies that have adapted to them. These parasites spend most of their lives as larvae in the digestive tract of their hosts, only emerging to pupate, mate, and die. (1/6)

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IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group @iucnparasites.bsky.social · 03/10/2025

You probably have a general idea of what a tick looks like, but did you know that there are three distinct families of ticks, each with their own appearance, habitat, and adaptations? These families are the Ixodidae (or hard ticks), Argasidae (or soft ticks), and the Nuttalliellidae. (1/4)

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Veeloxxy Bites @the-episiarch.bsky.social · 26/09/2025

Crouching Parrot, Hidden Louse: The Kyloring (Pezoporus flaviventris) is a critically endangered species of Australian parrot, and it is host to Forficuloecus pezopori - a species of louse which lives only on the Kyloring and nowhere else. #Invertebrate 🧪 dailyparasite.blogspot.com/2024/06/forf...

dailyparasite.blogspot.com

<i>Forficuloecus pezopori</i>

Parasites are a major part of biodiversity, but they spend most of their time hidden in plain sight. Even with some animals that have been k...

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IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group @iucnparasites.bsky.social · 25/09/2025

The bat flies (families Nycteribiidae and Streblidae) are an unusual group of parasitic flies that ride along with (and feed on) bats, usually being found attached to their hosts. But just as they receive sustenance their hosts, they are also vulnerable to whatever threats their hosts face. (1/3)

A brown-orange-colored bat fly of the family Nycteribiidae, found attached to a bat in Gorongosa National Park. Credit: Bart Wursten, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nycteribiidae00.jpg

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IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group @iucnparasites.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

Just this month, a team including Specialist Group co-chair Mackenzie Kwak reported the rediscovery of the Plain Thorny-headed Flea (Acanthopsylla saphes), once feared extinct and in dire threat from the decline of its hosts! Link: doi.org/10.1007/s108... #conservation #parasite #flea #parasitology

A plain thorny-headed flea (Acanthopsylla saphes), image from Kwak et al. (2025).

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IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group @iucnparasites.bsky.social · 19/09/2025

Hello, Bluesky! We're the IUCN SSC Parasite Specialist Group, a part of the Species Survival Commission! We're just starting to understand the important roles parasites play in their ecosystems, and our goal is to determine the threats wildlife parasites face and to conserve rare and unique species!

Rhinoceros Stomach Bot Fly (Gyrostigma rhinocerontis), a black-and-orange bot fly specializing in White Rhinos (Ceratotherium simum) and Black Rhinos (Diceros bicornis) in Africa. Credit: Bernard Dupont, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gyrostigma_rhinocerontis_(Owen,_1830)_1(a)_-_iNaturalist.org.jpg

A Ryukyu Rabbit Tick (Haemaphysalis pentalagi), a brown tick that specializes on the Amami Rabbit (Pentalagus furnessi) on Amami Ōshima, one of the southern islands of Japan. Credit: Takamasa Nemoto

The Manx Shearwater Flea (Ceratophyllus (Emmareus) fionnus), a flea known only from the Isle of Rùm off the west coast of Scotland, where it specializes on nesting colonies of the Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus). Credit: Olha Schedrina / The Natural History Museum

Rhinoceros Tick (Dermacentor rhinocerinus), a spotted orange-and-black tick species that specializes on White Rhinos (Ceratotherium simum) and Black Rhinos (Diceros bicornis) in Africa. Credit: Moira Fitzpatrick

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