Summary

Conchodytes biunguiculatus is a species of crustacean that lives inside the Black-Lipped Pearl Oyster, Pinctada margaritifera. C.biunguiculatus is hereby described in terms of its physical appearance,behaviour and feeding habits, ecology, anatomy and physiology, evolution and systematics, biogeographic distribution, and conservation. Experimentation was conducted on specimens of C. biunguiculatus gathered from Heron Island in Queensland, Australia to determine the species' ability to recolonise new oysters after removal from their original host.

C. biunguiculatus are roughly 2cm in length and mainly transparent with pink-red pigment spots covering their bodies. The species is shrimp-like in appearance and has been documented in Pinctada margaritifera in several countries throughout the world

Image 1: A male C. biunguiculatus. Image courtesy ofdiscoverlife. org​