This pale little bug is Cymothoa exigua, also known as the Tongue-Eating Louse or the Tongue Isopod. They enter through the gills as juveniles, and the tongue-eating locus will clamp onto the base of the fish’s tongue. It uses its claws to sever the blood vessels in the tongue. The tongue falls off after losing its blood supply. The male clings to the gill arches behind and beneath the female, while the female clings to the tongue.
The isopod will then take the place of the fish’s tongue, attaching itself to the muscles that control the tongue. Probably Hollywood gets an idea of alien-type movies from this type of creature. Therefore, many bait species, like slimy, jack mackerel, and yellowtail, have them in warmer months. Females measure 4–14 mm in width and 8–29 mm in length. Males range in length from 7.5 to 15 mm and width from 3 to 7 mm. Only cymothoid isopods have been found to consume and replace the organs of their hosts among the many species of Cymothoa that have been identified.
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