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UTAS Home > IMAS Home > Image Key > Copepoda > Calanoida > Candaciidae >  Candacia ethiopica

Candacia ethiopica

Dana (1849)

Download a fact sheet for Candacia ethiopica (PDF 437KB)

Taxonomy

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

Size

  • Female: 1.97-3.03 mm
  • Male: 2.0-2.93 mm

Distinguishing characteristics

  • Genital somite and P5 form

Male

  • Posterior prosome asymmetrical with curved spiny projection on the right side
  • Genital somite with 2 triangular processes on right margin, protruberances on one side (a rounded knob and a pointed projection)
  • Small crest on last prosome somite (also in other Candacia spp.)

Female

  • Prosome can be darkly pigmented
  • Posterior prosome corners pointed
  • Genital somite asymmetrical, prolonged on left
  • In lateral view genital somite has a small ventral spiny protruberance
  • P5 segment 3 with 3 inner edge setae; distal 2 setae are coarse and of unequal length; segment 3 with 7 spines in total
  • Small crest on last prosome somite (also in other Candacia spp.)

Distribution

  • Epipelagic; mesopelagic
  • Mainly open ocean
  • Widespread in tropical , subtropical and temperate waters
  • Pacific and Indian Oceans and Atlantic Oceans

Ecology

  • Can live in the neuston
  • Specialised predator, grasping prey with large and robust maxillae
  • Larvaceans are major prey item
  • Swimming speeds up to 7 mm s-1

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., (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.
  • Bradford-Grieve, J. M., E. L. Markhaseva, et al. (1999). Copepoda. South Atlantic Zooplankton. D. Boltovskoy. Leiden, The Netherlands, Backhuys Publishers. 1: 869-1098.
  • 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).
  • Hattori et al. (1983)
  • 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
  • Woodson et al. (2005)