Centropages gracilis
Dana (1849)
Download a fact sheet for Centropages gracilis (PDF 480KB)
Taxonomy
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum | Crustacea |
| Class | Maxillopoda |
| Subclass | Copepoda |
| Order | Calanoida |
| Family | Centropagidae |
| Genus | Centropages |
| Species | gracilis |
Size
- Female: 1.85 – 2.00 mm
- Male: 1.80 – 2.04 mm
Distinguishing characteristics
- P5 form
- Female: Urosome somite 2 has lateral knobs covered in small spines (flower like)
Male
- Posterior corners of prosome rounded
- Right P5 terminal claw is longer than the appendage on exopod 2 (thumb) and has a pronounced triangular protrusion, absent in other species in the genus
Female
- Lateral angles of the last prosome somite are rounded
- A1 extends beyond caudal rami by last 5 segments
- Inner marginal spine on exopodite segment 2 of P5 does not reach the end of segment 3
- Genital somite with naked lateral borders
- Caudal rami are symmetrical
Distribution
- Epipelagic
- Coastal and offshore
- Tropical
- Indian, Pacific and Atlantic
Ecology
- Little is known about the ecology of this species
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.
- Brodsky K.A., 1962 c. On the fauna and distribution of the Calanoida of surfaces waters in the northern part on the Pacific Ocean. Issled. Dal-nevost. Morei SSSR, 8: 91-116. (Russian).
- 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).
- 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.
- Grice G.D., (1961) 1962. Calanoid copepods from equatorial waters of the Pacific Ocean. Fishery Bull. Fish Wildl. Serv. U.S., 61 (186): 167-246.
- Mori T., (1937) 1964. The pelagic Copepoda from the neighbouring waters of Japan. Second edition edited by S. Shirai.,
- 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