ectoparasite

(noun)

a parasite that lives on the surface of a host organism

Related Terms

Examples of ectoparasite in the following topics:

  • Agnathans: Jawless Fishes

    • Many species have a parasitic stage of their life cycle during which they are ectoparasites of fishes .

  • Phylum Platyhelminthes

    • The monogeneans are ectoparasites, mostly of fish, with simple life cycles that consist of a free-swimming larva that attaches to a fish to begin transformation to the parasitic adult form.