Copepod Fauna Research Articles

Two new species of Monstrilla (Copepoda: Monstrilloida: Monstrillidae) from a protected reef system of the Mexican Caribbean

Several adult female monstrilloid copepods, collected in March 2022 from the protected reef area of Xcalak, on the southern part of the Mexican Caribbean coast, proved to belong to two undescribed species of Monstrilla Dana, 1849. They are described here as M. xcalakensis sp. nov. and M. annulata sp. nov., partly by use of scanning electron microscopy. Females of the two species are generally similar but differ in: (1) antennular segmental structure, (2) antennular armature and ornamentation, (3) structure and setation of the fifth leg, (4) number and modifications of the caudal setae, and (5) integumental ornamentation. Comparison with congeneric species revealed distinctive features for both species that support their status as new. These two species are interesting additions to the reef-dwelling monstrilloid copepod fauna of the Mexican Caribbean and confirm Monstrilla as the most diverse genus of monstrilloids in this area, now represented by nine species.

New host and first description of the male of Colobomatus stelliferi Pombo, Turra, Paschoal & Luque, 2015 (Copepoda: Philichthyidae), parasite of Umbrina canosai Berg, 1895 (Actinopterygii: Sciaenidae) off Brazil: improving the taxonomic knowledge pertaining to Colobomatus spp.

The present study provides new host and first description of the male of Colobomatus stelliferi Pombo, Turra, Paschoal & Luque, 2015 (Copepoda, Philichthyidae), collected from the mandibular canals of the Argentine croaker Umbrina canosai Berg, off the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Four out of nine fish analyzed (prevalence 44.4%) were parasitized by C. stelliferi and showed a mean intensity of 2.5 (range 2-3, standard deviation 1.25). Adult males of C. stelliferi can be differentiated from their closest congeners based on the combination of the following characters: maxilliped with naked basal segment and small apical spine, the presence of two elements on the second endopodal segment of the antenna, and the presence of leg 4. This parasitic copepod is seemingly host-specific to fish of the family Sciaenidae and its occurrence is restricted to the Brazilian coast. The present results contribute to our knowledge of the biology of C. stelliferi and of the parasitic copepod fauna from Brazil.

Complementary description and record of Peltidium perturbatum Geddes, 1968 (Copepoda, Harpacticoida, Peltidiidae) from the Northwestern Tropical Atlantic

Abstract During a survey of the zooplankton community of a protected coastal system on the Caribbean coast of Mexico, several adult females and immature individuals of the usually benthic or epiphytic harpacticoid copepod genus Peltidium, were recovered; they were identified as the Bahamian species P. perturbatum Geddes, 1968. This species has not been recorded from other areas of the Northwestern Tropical Atlantic (NWTA) region after its original description. Based on the examination of the Mexican Caribbean material, a complementary description of this species is presented including new details of antennules, caudal rami, leg 1, and cuticular ornamentation by using SEM analysis. Its finding in the Mexican Caribbean represents the southernmost record of the genus in the Americas and the first record for the Mexican copepod fauna. A key to the known species of the genus in the NWTA is also provided.

Interstitial harpacticoid (Copepoda, Harpacticoida) fauna inhabiting mediolittoral zone of the Gulf of Saros (Turkey)

The study was aimed to reveal interstitial harpacticoid copepod fauna of the Gulf of Saros (Turkey), where no detailed research has been done before on this subject. The samples were collected from 30 stations located along the mediolittoral zone of the gulf between 2013 and 2014. As a result, a total of 72 species/subspecies belonging to 44 genera in 15 families were identified. All identified taxa except Tryphoema gallipoliensis Alper et al., 2018 are new records for the study area, besides 16 species were also recorded for the first time from the Turkish seas.

The Inland Water Copepod Fauna of a Traditional Rural Landscape in a Mediterranean Island (Crustacea, Copepoda)

Although the Mediterranean area is a well-known hotspot of biological diversity, the crustacean assemblages inhabiting inland waters of the Mediterranean islands are to date unevenly known, and detailed information is missing for most taxa and areas. In the frame of this paper, we provide a checklist and a characterization of the copepod fauna of the lentic water bodies occurring in a traditional rural landscape of Sicily, where the co-existence of agriculture, woodlands, and pastoral activities lead to the presence of a wide range of different aquatic habitats. Overall, 22 copepod species belonging to the orders Calanoida, Cyclopoida, and Harpacticoida have been found in the 92 surveyed sites, stressing the conservation value of the area. In the study area, species widespread in the west Palaearctic region co-exist with strictly Mediterranean elements and a small but biogeographically significant group of species with northern or Balkan affinities, which support the role of the investigated area as a refugium for species that colonised Sicily during Pleistocene climate fluctuations and are now restricted to the more wet parts of the island. A single non-native species has been found, and its distribution is currently limited to permanent, man-made reservoirs.

New Record of Arctodiaptomus (Mesodiaptomus) toni Brehm, 1937 (Copepoda, Calanoida, Diaptomidae) From İnland Water of Turkey.

In eastern region of Turkey, copepod fauna of 31 localities was investigated and 23 species were identified from 4 families. Aygır Lake is the richest with 7 species in terms of the number of copepod species, followed by the Kuyucuk Lake and the Akcakale Peninsula with 6 species. No copepods were found at stations 2, 5, 8, 9, 10, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24 for reasons of human settlements, water quality parameters and environmental factors. The Calanoid copepod, Arctodiaptomus (M) toni which was found in two stations (Lavaş Lake and Putka Gölbaşı Lake) is new record for the inland waters of Turkey. Both habitats of the species are similar to each other in terms of altitude and lake structure, and similar to Elburz, where the species was first found.

Comparative characteristics of harpacticoids species diversity in contact zones of the northwestern part of the Black sea

In the article there are research results of comparative analysis of the species structure of crustaceans Harpacticoida (Copepoda) in the meiobenthos of different contact zones in the north-western part of the Black Sea. The fauna of harpacticoid copepods of contour biotopes in NWBS during the study period numbered 76 species belonging to 46 genera from 23 families. The largest number of species of harpacticoid copepods (44 species) was registered on the pelocontour. The lithocontour and psamocontour had 39 and 34 species of harpacticoids, respectively. The smallest number of species (19 species) of harpacticoid copepods was registered on the potamo contour. Cluster analysis of the harpacticoid species number in contour biotopes showed that the fauna of the potamocontour is similar to other contours by only 20.07 %. The similarity in the species composition of the peloton and lithocontour is 52.27 %, and the species diversity of the potamocontour harpacticoids is similar to them by 42.85 %. Common to all contour habitats are 6 species: Ameira parvula parvula, Dactylopusia tisboides, Ectinosoma melaniceps, Harpacticus flexus, Harpacticus littoralis, Laophonte elongata elongata. Vegetation of the OMR lithocontour had the largest number of species (35 species, which is 46 % of the total number of species), and near 24 species of snakes were noted. Almost the same number of species was observed at the stations remote from the shore and near the shore. The smallest number of species was noted on the interstitial supralittoral of the psamocontour, and their number was almost three times greater in the upper sublittoral. The Pelocontour of Yagorlytska and Tendrivska counted 34 species of harpacticoid copepods, and in the OMR – 21 species. The coastal part of the potamocontour is characterized by the greatest species diversity (Margalef index – 1.3±0.1, Shannon index – 1.7±0.3; Simpson index – 0.8±0.05).

A comparative study on the density and seasonal variations of rotifer and copepod fauna in a pond of Tripura, India with a note on water quality parameters

A Comparative study was carried out in a pond of Tripura to observe the density and seasonal succession of rotifer and copepod fauna and the observation recorded 26 species of rotifer and 6 species of copepod fauna. Percentage composition of different families as well as percentage composition of each species in the recorded total rotifer and copepod fauna was also noted. Rotifer fauna showed maximum density in the winter and minimum density during summer. On the contrary, copepod fauna showed maximum density in the summer and minimum density in monsoon season. Rotifer fauna showed significant positive correlation with water temperature, free carbon dioxide, total alkalinity, nitrate-nitrogen, phosphate phosphorus and negative correlation with transparency. On the contrary, copepod fauna showed positive correlation with water temperature and pH and negative correlation with dissolved oxygen, total alkalinity and nitrate nitrogen. The observation infers that the densities of rotifer and copepod fauna varies with seasons which might be the dynamic nature of the aquatic ecosystem and might also be due to optimal condition in the water quality parameters of the studied pond ecosystem.

An annotated checklist and bibliography of the Diaptomidae (Copepoda, Calanoida) of Italy, Corsica, and the Maltese islands

Calanoids of the family Diaptomidae are the most widespread copepods in the lentic inland waters of the Palearctic region. In Italy, studies on the family date back to the end of 19th century. Since then, several papers contributed to increasing the knowledge on their presence, distribution, and ecological preferences. Nevertheless, new records for the area and the discovery of putative new species stress that the current knowledge on these inland water crustaceans is still far from being exhaustive. This paper presents an updated and annotated checklist and bibliography of the Diaptomidae of the Italian peninsula and surrounding islands, including Corsica and the Maltese islands, compiled through a critical review of the existing literature and carrying out further field research. The doubtful records reported in the literature are discussed and clarified. The updated checklist includes 30 diaptomid species and subspecies; among them, an alien species and three putative new species pending formal description are reported. About 20% of the observed species are endemic or subendemic to the study area. The faunal provinces ascribed to the Mediterranean limnofaunistic region host the highest species richness and contribute to the checklist with rare species and unique occurrences. The high species richness observed in the Mediterranean area supports the hypothesis of a long-lasting persistence of an ancient and peculiar copepod fauna.

Hybridization in Selected Species and Genera of Diaptomid Copepods in China

To better understand the fauna of freshwater calanoid copepods of China, including the occurrence of intra- and intergeneric hybridization, we studied five species, distributed across the whole of China or in South China. We sequenced a mitochondrial (COI) and the nuclear ribosome 18S operon (ITS) to reconstruct the phylogenetic trees by using a Bayesian and maximum likelihood (ML) approach with 161 individuals. The phylogeny tree revealed five clades and two geographically separated subclades in both S. ferus and P. tunguidus. We found, for the first time, that the hybrid specimens occurred in Diaptomidae, but low hybridization suggested effective barriers to hybridization and introgression. One hypothesis, that hybridization is recent and was initiated by invasions via canals built between the Yangtze and Pearl rivers c. 2000 years ago, is not supported by K2P genetic distances of the order of 20%. Furthermore, COI analysis of different populations of S. ferus and P. tunguidus revealed two geographical clades in each species, with genetic distances commensurate with cryptic speciation. Both clades occupy subranges maintained without visible barriers to mixis.

Habitat-Diversity Relations between Sessile Macrobenthos and Benthic Copepods in the Rocky Shores of a Marine Protected Area

In rocky shore systems, sessile macrobenthic assemblages may act as “ecosystem engineers” for many smaller benthic organisms. Thus, the influence of macrobenthic coverage on the diversity and assemblage structure of the harpacticoid copepod fauna was investigated in the rocky shores of a Marine Protect Area (MPA) in the Ligurian Sea (NW, Mediterranean Sea). Two sampling sites were investigated in two seasons at three different depths on both sub-vertical and inclined reefs. A total of 61 species of copepods mainly represented by Miraciidae, Laophontidae, Longipediidae and Thalestridae were found. The complex micro-topography of these substrata provided a wide variety of niches for many species with different lifestyles that suggests the important role of rocky shores to ensure the functioning of coastal ecosystems. The harpacticoid assemblage structure seemed mainly influenced by season and depth. The temporal spread observed is likely one of the underlying mechanisms of niche segregation that allows many species to co-occur in this specific environment along with a subordinate spatial segregation corresponding to the depth gradient. The results seem to support the hypothesis that the different species composition of the “ecosystem engineer” (and consequently its structure changes) are relevant in structuring the copepod assemblages. The comparison with previous data on general meiofauna underlines that higher surrogacy of the taxonomic identification could be used to study rocky shore communities, but the rich diversity that these systems host can only be understood at the lower taxonomic levels. The same holds for future evaluations of impact of environmental changes (including MPA regulations) on meiofaunal assemblages.

Eumeiobenthic crustaceans on the plastic litter in the nearshore water area of the Cape Malyi Fontan (Odesa Gulf, Black Sea)

In the article there are research results of the eumeiobenthic crustaceans on the plastic litter surface in the nearshore Cape Malyi Fontan water area in Odesa Gulf (north-western Black Sea). Species diversity, density and biomass of eumeiobenthic crustaceans were determined on the plastic litter collected in July and October 2018 in the nearshore cape aquatic zone. Eumeiobenthic organisms made up grate percentage in meiobenthos and were represented by order Harpacticoida (Copepoda) and class Ostracoda. The eumeiobenthos percentage of the total meiobenthos density in July made up 36.05% and in October – 58,08%. The indexes of the eumeiobenthos biomass almost didn’t distinct in the different months of the sampling. The percentage of the harpacticoids copepods was more 80%, and ostracods – up to 15%. On the plastic litter 14 meiobenthos taxa were registered. Were identified 9 ostracodes species, associated with plastic marine litter, that are from 5 families. Most widespread species of ostracodes on the fouling of the plastic litter were Hemicytherura bulgarica (Klie, 1937), Paradoxostoma variabile (Baird, 1835) and Xestoleberis decipiens Mueller, 1894. Fauna of harpacticoid copepods on the plastic litter from coastal cape waters consists of 16 species belongs to 10 families. Among them Ameira parvula parvula (Claus, 1866), Canuella perplexa (Scott T. et A., 1893), Dactylopusia tisboides (Claus, 1863), Ectinosoma melaniceps (Boeck, 1845) та Harpacticus littoralis (Sars G. O., 1910) were most common. Meiobenthos assemblages on the plastic litter fouling are similar to the diversity, formed on the artificial and natural substrates of the Odesa Gulf, but distinct from the last much lower density and biomass values. Eumeiobenthic crustaceans represented by widespread species, inhabiting in the nearshore water zone of the Ukrainian part of the north-western Black Sea.

Nocturnal variation of the zooplankton community in coral reef substrates at Isla del Coco National Park (Eastern Tropical Pacific)

Introduction: Zooplankton is a major link in coral reef food webs and a source of nutrients for corals. Demersal zooplankton in coral reefs makes diel migrations at night to avoid predation by fish and corals, increasing abundance and biomass at night. Objectives: To study the composition and variation of the demersal and pelagic zooplankton community at night and to increase the taxonomic knowledge of the benthic copepod fauna over different substrates of a coral reef. Methods: Traps made of plastic, with a 100 μm mesh size collector cup attached, were placed for 12 hours between 5-10 m depth over four substrates: (1) sand, (2) small and (3) big colonies of Porites lobata, and (4) dead and alive corals. Sampling started at dusk (1800 h), and the collector cups were collected and replaced at 2100 and 0000, and the last samples removed at down (0600 h). Results: The highest abundance of zooplankton was capture over P. lobata colonies between 0000 to 0600 h. Copepods (adults, copepodites, and nauplii) dominated the community structure and were more abundant during all the time intervals and substrates. Pelagic copepods were more abundant than the benthic, however, not more diverse. Among the benthic copepods, 20 new records of harpacticoids and calanoids were registered for Isla del Coco and Costa Rican waters. Appendicularians and decapod larvae were also abundant. Changes in coral reef community structure were related with time and not with the kind of substrate, although some taxa were found only in a specific time interval or substrate. Conclusions: Community structure and abundance of demersal and pelagic coral reef zooplankton in Chatham Bay were dominated by copepods, larvaceans and decapod larvae, similar to other coral reefs around the world. The highest abundance peak of organisms in the water column between 0000 to 0600 h could be related to diel migration.

Convergent evolution of mouthparts morphology between Siphonostomatoida and a new genus of deep-sea Aegisthidae Giesbrecht, 1893 (Copepoda: Harpacticoida)

A great diversity of the basal harpacticoid family Aegisthidae Giesbrecht, 1893 is found in the deep-sea benthic and hyperbenthic environments. Some members of this family have developed adaptations to dig into the sediment, while others have colonized hyperbenthic waters; however, no aegisthid associated with a vertebrate or an invertebrate host has yet been reported. During a sampling campaign aimed at evaluating the abyssal copepod fauna of the polymetallic province in the North East Pacific, we discovered a striking new genus of Aegisthidae which exhibits convergent evolution of mouthpart morphology with that of siphonostomatoid copepods. Siphonis gen. nov. has a labrum modified into a long oral cone similar to that found in ectoparasitic species of the primitive siphonostomatoid family, Asterocheridae Giesbrecht, 1899. The mandible, maxillule and maxilla of Siphonis gen. nov. are also modified into siphonostomatoid-like structures; however, some ground pattern characters of the family Aegisthidae are retained. The new genus is discussed and compared with members of the derived taxon Palinarthra, Seifried, 2003 which comprises all those harpacticoid families with an incipient oral cone and a slightly elongated mandibular gnathobase. Two species of the new genus are described herein and were verified by molecular evidence. Siphonis gen. nov. is placed within the subfamily Cerviniopseinae Brotskaya, 1963 and represents a third major shift in the lifestyle of aegisthid copepods, from benthic and hyperbenthic to associated forms (probably with sponges or cnidarians).

The benthic Copepoda (Crustacea) of Anaximenes Seamount (eastern Mediterranean Sea)—Community structure and species distribution

During research cruise M71/1 of German FV METEOR in winter 2006, meiofauna sampling was undertaken on the eastern Mediterranean Anaximenes Seamount at six sites (the summit, northern slope, north-western slope, north-western base, north-eastern slope and eastern base). Analysis of the benthic Copepoda (i.e. Harpacticoida and Canuelloida) revealed a highly diverse fauna. This is in contrast to what is generally considered an impoverished bathyal and abyssal fauna in the surrounding eastern Mediterranean Sea: It is regarded as one of the most oligotrophic regions of the world’s oceans. This is attested to by comparison of the seamount fauna with that of a remote deep-sea (“Far-field”) site in the Rhodes Basin, which presented a clearly impoverished fauna with respect to abundance, higher-taxon diversity and species diversity. Comparison of sites across the seamount found no overall “seamount community” of benthic Copepoda. Instead, three different assemblages could be detected, with abundance and species diversity comparable to north-eastern Atlantic seamounts and islands. Regarding species composition, however, only four of the recorded species are shared with other Mediterranean and Atlantic elevations. The benthic copepod fauna at Anaximenes Seamount is composed mostly by “typical” deep-sea and eurybathic species, whilst “typical” shallow-water species were absent. Thus, it is concluded that Anaximenes Seamount does not play a role in the dispersal of shallow-water benthic Copepoda. Nonetheless, it appears important for the establishment of abundant and diverse deep-sea communities. Moreover, it constitutes no barrier for the dispersal of deep-sea benthic Copepoda in the Mediterranean.

Analyzing climate change and surface-subsurface interactions using the Postojna Planina Cave System (Slovenia) as a model system

Worldwide, there are at least 12 ILTER sites with an emphasis on karst, landforms arising from the combination of high rock solubility and well-developed solutional channel porosity underground, but the study of cave ecosystems has been largely neglected. Only two ILTER sites, both in Slovenia, are primarily caves. Caves are under-represented for several reasons, but especially because of the overall difficulty of access and the lack of a clear research agenda for cave ecosystem studies. We review several aspects of long-term studies in Postojna Planina Cave System (PPCS), proposing our approach as a model for ILTER research in caves. In PPCS, analysis of short-term temperature data shows a muted daily cycle and seasonality, and analysis of long-term temperature data shows an increase, largely the result of climate change. Changes in drip rate of epikarst aquifers above the cave are correlated with rainfall but with lags and complications resulting from differences in longer term rainfall patterns. Analysis of discharge rates indicates a rapid response to precipitation not only in the Pivka River at its sinking, but also at Unica Spring, where discharge is augmented from other parts of the aquifer, including epikarst. Quantitative analysis of the obligate epikarst-dwelling copepod community shows that, unlike most cave communities, complete sampling of the fauna is possible. Finally, organic carbon levels in PPCS indicate likely carbon limitation in the system. These five factors (temperature, drip rate, river discharge, epikarst copepod fauna, and organic carbon) are the appropriate variables for capturing the essential long-term trends in cave ecosystems and their causes.

Structure of Mesozooplankton Communities in the Coastal Waters of Morocco

Mero- and holoplanktonic organisms from 23 large taxa have been detected in the coastal waters of Morocco. Seven Cladocera species and 164 Copepoda species were identified. Copepod fauna mostly consisted of oceanic epipelagic widely tropical species, but the constant species group (frequency of occurrence over 50%) included neritic and neritic–oceanic widely tropical species. The neritic community that formed a biotopic association with coastal upwelling waters and the distant-neritic community associated with Canary Current waters were the two major communities detected. The former community was characterized by a high abundance and biomass (5700 ind./m3 and 260 mg/m3) and predominance of neritic species. The trophic structure was dominated by thin filter feeders, mixed-food consumers, and small grabbers; the species structure was dominated by Paracalanus indicus, Acartia clausi, and Oncaea curta; the indices of species diversity (3.07 bit/ind.) and evenness (0.63) were relatively low. The latter community was characterized by low abundance and biomass (1150 ind./m3 and 90 mg/m3); variable biotopic, trophic, and species structure; and higher Shannon indices (3.99 bit/ind.) and Pielou (0.75). Seasonal variation of the abundance of organisms was not detected in the communities. Anomalous mesozooplankton states were observed in summer 1998 and winter 1998–1999.

A new Setacheres (Copepoda, Siphonostomatoida, Asterocheridae) associated with Ircinia felix (Duchassaing & Michelotti) (Porifera) from Brazil.

Recent surveys of the copepod fauna associated with the sponge Ircinia felix (Porifera, Dictyoceratida) in Brazil resulted in the discovery of a new siphonostomatoid species belonging to a recently erected genus of Asterocheridae. Setacheres portobarrensis sp. nov. possesses a 21-segmented antennule, with 3 free distal segments, after the aesthetasc. The third exopodal segment of leg 3 shows a distal seta instead of a spine as in some other congeners. The new species shows several unique features on the third endopodal segment of the antenna, the mandibular stylet, the inner lobe of the maxillule, and setules and spinules located in specific regions of legs 1 to 4. Setacheres portobarrensis sp. nov. follows the same distributional pattern as its congeners, and this is the first record of a siphonostomatoid copepod associated with Ircinia felix.

Harpacticoida (Crustacea, Copepoda) of Mussel Beds and Macroalgae on the Rocky Substrates in the North-Western Black Sea

Abstract The role of harpacticoid copepods in total abundance, biomass and species diversity of meiobenthos on rocky substrates is described. Th e fauna of harpacticoid copepods consists of 19 species in algal beds, 23 species in mussel beds and 24 species in mixed aggregation of molluscs and macrophytes. In the macrophyte aggregation, the maximal abundance was registered in Cladophora vagabunda - 88 750 ind. × m-2, while minimal was on Laurensia paniculata - 8250 ind. × m-2. According to the frequency of occurrence, the habitat preferred by copepods was Ceramium elegans, but according to their percentage in total meiobenthos among macrophytes it was Ulva intestinalis, 56.6 %. The percentage of copepods in the pure mussel beds was higher comparing to mixed aggregation of molluscs and macrophytes.

New records of poecilostomatoid copepods (Crustacea) from a coastal system in the Colombian Caribbean with notes on morphology

Seven species of free-living poecilostomatoid copepods are recorded from a coastal system in northern Colombia; one of these records, Oncaea scottodicarloi Heron and Bradford-Grieve, is new for Colombia. The poecilostome copepod fauna from the surveyed area is represented mostly by widespread species commonly found in neritic and oceanic waters of tropical latitudes, but local morphologic data are scarce in the regional literature. Brief diagnostic descriptions of the species recorded for the Colombian copepod fauna are provided together with illustrations of taxonomically important appendages, morphologic remarks, notes on the variability of some species, and their distribution.