About: Tylodelphys

Tylodelphys is a genus of parasitic fluke that infects the small water fish. It induces many behavioral changes on its host. Once inside a fish's eye, it can cause partial blindness and several behavioral changes to the intermediate host. Other species of flukes are able to turn into dormant cysts at certain stages of development, but Tylodelphys spp. stays active and roams free inside the fish's eye, giving it an opportunity for it to induce parasite behavior. When Tylodelphys larvae crawl around the inside of the fish's eye, it can get in between the retina and the lens. This can cause partial blindness to the fish, rendering the fish unable to notice predators. Tylodelphys consists of two species, (von Nordmann, 1832) and Kozicka & Niewiadomska, 1960.