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)