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Systematics: Isopoda Family Gnathiidae
Distinguishing Characters:
The male (left), 2.5 mm long, is mostly head and sharp jaws at the front while the rest of
the body is relatively short. The female (right) has a small head and a swollen, egg
filled thorax.
Habitat and Distribution:
Sea mites live burrowed in coarse sediments in shallow subtidal environments in New South
Wales and Victoria.
General Biology:
Sea mites lead complicated lives. The juvenile stage, called a praniza, lives attached to
the skin of a fish where it feeds on blood and mucus which it obtains with sharp little
jaws. The praniza metamorphoses into either a male (recognised by its huge jaws) or a
female which broods a clutch of coloured eggs in its thorax. The male maintains a harem of
females in a communal burrow in sandy rubble or algae. There are many species of gnathiids
in all marine environments in Australia.