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This study analyzes the importance of body size and habitat of the ghost shrimp Callianassa garthi, as host factors affecting the patterns of distribution, abundance and fecundity of the ectosymbiont copepod Clausidium sp.Ghost shrimps from two different habitats were collected and compared in the copepod abundance, fecundity, and number of ovigerous and mature females per host.Experimental estimates of the carrying capacity and colonization rates of copepods were also carried out.Results revealed that the aggregated distribution of copepods among hosts and the host body size were the principal factors determining intrapopulation size.Host habitat indirectly influenced the size of copepod intrapopulations through changes in the body size structure of the ghost shrimp population.Intraspecific competition among copepods seems to play a minor role in regulating intrapopulation size, as indicated by the low intensity of the density dependence of copepod fecundity.We discuss the possibility that the size of copepod intrapopulations is limited by recruitment.