The copepod invader Skistodiaptomus pallidus (Herrick, 1879) (Crustacea, Copepoda, Diaptomidae) from North America in water bodies of Bremen, northern Germany

Gerd-Oltmann Brandorff

doi:10.3391/ai.2011.6.s1.001

Abstract

The paper presents the first European records of the copepod (Crustacea, Calanoida, Diaptomidae) Skistodiaptomus pallidus in shallow eutrophic waters indirectly connected with the Weser River, Northern Germany. Its original distribution is in the Mississippi basin of the United States of America. It is probable that this species entered the Weser River via ship ballast.

Highlights

Copepods are transported from one water body to another, either as adults, larvae or in resting stages
While searching for Leptodora kindtii (Focke, 1884) in its type locality in the moat of the former fortifications of the city of Bremen (Dumont and Hollwedel 2009), we found four calanoid copepods, i.e. Eurytemora velox (Lilljeborg, 1853), Eudiaptomus gracilis (Sars, 1863), Eudiaptomus graciloides (Lilljeborg, 1888) and Skistodiaptomus pallidus (Herrick, 1879)
Skistodiaptomus pallidus has been found in North America in productive lakes, rivers, reservoirs and permanent ponds (Torke 2001)

Summary

Introduction

Copepods are transported from one water body to another, either as adults, larvae or in resting stages. In nature passive transport by birds is a strategy to colonize periodic ponds or other water bodies. Long distance dispersal via birds is possible (Green and Figuerola 2005) and has been suggested as a mode of transport of copepods to new regions (Reid and Reed 1994). Intercontinental introductions of calanoid copepods were reviewed by Reid and Pinto-Coelho (1994), but only marine or brackish species were recorded. Gollasch and Nehring (2006) offered a checklist for aquatic alien species from coastlines of the North and Baltic Seas and from inland waters within the national borders of Germany. The euryhaline species Eurytemora affinis (Poppe, 1880), native to Ponto-Caspian region, is reported from the western European coast, parts of Asia, and within North America from the Atlantic coast including the

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