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).