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Bestiolina similis

Sewell (1914)

Download a fact sheet for Bestiolina similis (PDF 351KB)

Taxonomy

Phylum Arthropoda
Subphylum Crustacea
Class Maxillopoda
Subclass Copepoda
Order Calanoida
Family Paracalanidae
Genus Bestiolina
Species similis

Size

  • Female: 0.72 - 0.81 mm
  • Male: 0.80 mm

Distinguishing characteristics

  • Female P5 rudimentary and knob-like
  • Male P5 rudimentary on right and elongate on left

Male

  • Swimming legs as for female
  • P5 has swollen coxa, and 4 more segments
  • Terminal P5 segment has 2 unequal spines, penultimate segment with laterodistal spine

Female

  • A1 extends as far as caudal rami, terminal segments elongate, no transverse row of spinules on segments 1-7
  • Rostral filaments long and slender
  • Last pedigerous somite without spinules
  • Posterior surface of exopod segment 2 on P2-4 without spines

Distribution

  • Epipelagic
  • Common in inshore waters and estuaries of the tropics
  • Pacific and Indian Oceans, not the Atlantic

Ecology

  • Can produce up to 50 eggs female-1 day-1
  • Eggs released directly into water
  • Naupliar development complete in < 4 days
  • Important prey for larval fish
  • Easily maintained in culture

References

  • Boxshall, G. A. and S. H. Halsey (2004). "An introduction to copepod diversity." Ray Society Publications 166: i-xv, 1-966.
  • Bradford-Grieve, J. M. (1994). The marine fauna of New Zealand: Pelagic Copepoda: Megacalanidae, Calanidae, Paracalanidae, Mecynoceridae, Eucalanidae, Spinocalanidae, Clausocalanidae. National Institue of Water and Atmospheric Research, Wellington, New Zealand.
  • Chew, L. L. and Chong V. C., (2011). "Copepod community structure and abundance in a tropical mangrove estuary, with comparisons to coastal waters." Hydrobiologia 666(1): 127-143.
  • McKinnon & Klumpp (1998)
  • McKinnon et al. (2003)
  • Razouls C., de Bovée F., Kouwenberg J. et Desreumaux N., 2005-2009. - Diversity and Geographic Distribution of Marine Planktonic Copepods. Available at http://copepodes.obs-banyuls.fr/en
  • Sampey, A., McKinnon A. D., et al. (2007). "Glimpse into guts: overview of the feeding of larvae of tropical shorefishes." Marine ecology. Progress series (Halstenbek) 339: 243-257.