Pseudodiaptomus marinus Sato, 1913—A New Species of Invasive Copepod in the Black Sea: The First Results of Invasion

Abstract

The data of 3-year observations of the abundance dynamics of microplanktonic fraction of Pseudodiaptomus marinus—a new alien copepod for the Black Sea—are presented. Seasonally, the first juvenile stages of the species appeared in the Sevastopol coastal waters in September. The maximum values were reached at different times: from the end of September to the end of November. Then the abundance quickly dropped. The presence of nauplius and copepodites in plankton suggests that the new species of copepods successfully reproduces in the Black Sea coastal waters. The total abundance of the invasive species is characterized by low values, which do not exceed at maximum 10 000 ind. m–3. The temperature is assumed to be one of the main factors in the regulation of interannual variability in the abundance of the invasive species.