[5] Gnathia marleyi is a protelian parasite quite similar ecologically to non-marine, blood-sucking ticks and mosquitoes.

[5] In a study to determine sensory cues used by Gnathia marleyi, field experiments were conducted in the Virgin Islands.

From June 2008 through August 2010, marine biologists examined cues used by this species to help locate host fish.

They used experimental traps which offered both olfactory and visual cues to the parasite from live French grunts (Haemulon flavioliniatum).

[6] As a side benefit, the traps engineered for use in this study provide a new method that can be used to sample free-living gnathiid isopods.

[5] Sikkel and others are doing research into the relationships between gnathiid populations and the health of other communities of species living within the coral reef.

[5] Preserved Gnathia marleyi specimens will be permanently kept at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.