CreatureData

Koi louse

Argulus japonicus Thiele, 1900

Status not recordedcrustaceans

The koi louse (Argulus japonicus) is a species in the family Argulidae.

No freely licensed photo yet

Quick facts about the koi louse

Weight
Not recorded
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Conservation status
Not recorded
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the koi louse live?

Not recorded

Where has it been introduced?

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the koi louse as introduced in 5 countries.

  1. France
  2. Mexico
  3. South Africa
  4. United Kingdom
  5. United States

Introduced means brought by people and now present; invasive means the country's checklist records an impact. A species can be native to one part of a country and introduced in another. Source: Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (CC BY 4.0).

Is the koi louse endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the koi louse classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumArthropoda
  3. classBranchiura
  4. familyArgulidae
  5. genusArgulus
  6. SpeciesArgulus japonicus Thiele, 1900

Synonyms Argulus matritensis, Argulus pelucidus

Other names and names in other languages (9)
  • Goldfish louseEnglish
  • Japanese fishlouseEnglish
  • Koi fish louseEnglish
  • kapřivec rybničníCzech
  • チョウJapanese
  • 물이Korean
  • Japanse visluisDutch
  • Japon Argulus Balık Biti KabuklusuTurkish
  • Japanse karperluisDutch

Catalogue of Life

Relatives of the koi louse

Other species in the same genus Argulus.

Carp louse

Argulus foliaceus

ArgulidaeNo free photo yet

CompareKoi louse vs Carp louseKoi louse vs Bushylegged fishlouseKoi louse vs Herring fishlouseKoi louse vs Smalleyed fishlouse

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

Is the koi louse an invasive species?

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the koi louse as introduced in 5 countries: France, Mexico, South Africa, United Kingdom and United States, but does not flag it as invasive in any of them.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-14. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Koi louse (Argulus japonicus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/koi-louse

MLA

“Koi louse (Argulus japonicus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/koi-louse.

BibTeX
@misc{koi_louse_2026,
  title = {Koi louse (Argulus japonicus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/koi-louse},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-14}
}