Mucophagy
Encyclopedia
Mucophagy is feeding on mucus
of fish
es or invertebrate
s. It may also refer to consumption of mucus or dried mucus in primate
s.
There are mucophagous parasites, such as some sea lice
that attach themselves to gill
segments of fish.
Mucophages may serve as cleaners of other animals.
Another usage of this term is in reference to the feeding organ rich in mucous cells which pumps the water through, feeding particles get entrapped in mucus, and the latter proceeds into the esophagus
.
Mucus
In vertebrates, mucus is a slippery secretion produced by, and covering, mucous membranes. Mucous fluid is typically produced from mucous cells found in mucous glands. Mucous cells secrete products that are rich in glycoproteins and water. Mucous fluid may also originate from mixed glands, which...
of fish
Fish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
es or invertebrate
Invertebrate
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. The group includes 97% of all animal species – all animals except those in the chordate subphylum Vertebrata .Invertebrates form a paraphyletic group...
s. It may also refer to consumption of mucus or dried mucus in primate
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
s.
There are mucophagous parasites, such as some sea lice
Sea lice
The sea louse is a copepod within the order Siphonostomatoida, family Caligidae. There are 36 genera within this family which include approximately 42 Lepeophtheirus and 300 Caligus species...
that attach themselves to gill
Gill
A gill is a respiratory organ found in many aquatic organisms that extracts dissolved oxygen from water, afterward excreting carbon dioxide. The gills of some species such as hermit crabs have adapted to allow respiration on land provided they are kept moist...
segments of fish.
Mucophages may serve as cleaners of other animals.
Another usage of this term is in reference to the feeding organ rich in mucous cells which pumps the water through, feeding particles get entrapped in mucus, and the latter proceeds into the esophagus
Esophagus
The esophagus is an organ in vertebrates which consists of a muscular tube through which food passes from the pharynx to the stomach. During swallowing, food passes from the mouth through the pharynx into the esophagus and travels via peristalsis to the stomach...
.