Epicaridean life cycle for the bopyrid isopod Orthione griffenis Markham, 2004.

A sexually mature female and male in the gill chamber of the gebiid mud shrimp definitive host (Upogebia pugettensis). The female releases epicaridium larvae that parasitize calanoid copepod intermediate hosts. The epicaridium larva metamorphoses into a microniscus larva and then a cryptoniscus larva that settles onto a definitive mud shrimp host. The first juvenile isopod (bopyridium) to parasitize a host becomes female; subsequent isopods become male(s) and live on the female. Scale bar: 1 cm for definitive host (rest not to scale). From [72].