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Candacia catula

Giesbrecht (1889)

Download a fact sheet for Candacia catula (PDF 504KB)

Taxonomy

Phylum Arthropoda
Subphylum Crustacea
Class Maxillopoda
Subclass Copepoda
Order Calanoida
Family Candaciidae
Genus Candacia
Species catula

Size

  • Female: 1.4 - 1.67 mm
  • Male: 1.3 - 1.62 mm

Distinguishing characteristics

  • Genital somite form. Male: no protuberances on the genital somite. Female: symmetrical with both sides swollen, no spines or processes but with a backward projecting protuberance on the ventral surface

Male

  • Right A1 geniculate with 6 terminal segments
  • Last prosome somite pointed, but not prominently
  • Points are slightly asymmetric
  • P5 chelate on left, segment 3 terminal spine long and curved
  • Unusual among Candacia males in having no processes or protuberances on the genital somite
  • Urosome somite 2 symmetrical

Female

  • A1 23 segmented, with proximal 6 segments swollen
  • Posterior prosome symmetrical and pointed
  • P2-4 exopod terminal spine more than half the length of the segment
  • P5 symmetrical, segment 3 long with 2 outer marginal spines and 3 inner marginal setae; apex with 3 teeth
  • Genital somite symmetrical with both sides swollen, no spines or processes but with a backward projecting protuberance on the ventral surface
  • Caudal rami nearly twice as long as wide

Distribution

  • Epipelagic; open ocean
  • Tropical and subtropical
  • Pacific and Indian Oceans; more recently recorded from the Atlantic

Ecology

  • Specialised predator, grasping prey with large and robust maxillae
  • Larvaceans are major prey item

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., E. L. Markhaseva, et al. (1999). Copepoda. South Atlantic Zooplankton. D. Boltovskoy. Leiden, The Netherlands, Backhuys Publishers. 1: 869-1098.
  • Bradford-Grieve, J. M., (1999) The marine fauna of New Zealand: pelagic calanoid copepoda: Bathypontiidae, Arietellidae, Augaptilidae, Heterorhabdidae, Lucicutiidae, Metridinidae, Phyllopodidae, Centropagidae, Pseudodiaptomidae, Temoridae, Candaciidae, Pontellidae, Sulcanidae, Acartiidae, Tortanidae. National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Wellington, New Zealand.
  • Conway DVP, White, R.G., Hugues-Dit-Ciles, J., Gallienne, C.P. and Robins, D.B. (2003) Guide to the coastal and surface zooplankton of the south-western Indian Ocean, Vol Occasional Publications No. 15. Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom.
  • Chen Q. C. & Zhang S. Z, 1965. - The planktonic copepods of the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea. I. Calanoida. Studia mar. sin., 7: 20-131. (Chinese with English summary).
  • Greenwood, J. G. (1978). "Calanoid copepods of Moreton Bay (Queensland) 3. Families Temoridae to Tortanidae, excluding Pontellidae." Proceedings of the Royal Society of Queensland 89: 1-21.
  • 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
  • Tanaka O., 1935. The Copepoda of Sagami Bay. Part II. The family Candaciidae. Suisan Gakkai Ho, 6 (4): 210-227. (Japanese).