Paracalanus aculeatus
Giesbrecht (1888)
Download a fact sheet for Paracalanus aculeatus (PDF 315KB)
Taxonomy
Phylum Arthropoda
Subphylum Crustacea
Class Maxillopoda
Subclass Copepoda
Order Calanoida
Family Paracalanidae
Genus Paracalanus
Species aculeatus
Size
Female: 0.80-1.36 mm
Male: 0.92-1.36 mm
Distinguishing characteristics
Form of P5
Difficult to distinguish from P. campaneri and P. denudatus. Look at the shape of the seminal receptacle
More robust and bigger than P. indicus
Male
A1 extends almost as far as caudal rami
Male P5 uniramous, asymmetrical, with 5 segments on left and 2 on right
Right P5 extending as far as proximal third of left leg segment 3
Can be confused with Arcocalanus due to small transparent swelling on the dorsal profile
Caudal rami as long as wide
Female
A1 extends beyond caudal rami
Surface of B1 of swimming legs naked (inner edge may be feathered)
P4 exopod 2 has leaf like spines
P5 tiny, slender, short, uniramous, symmetrical, 2-segmented with 2 sub-equal terminal spines
Distribution
Epipelagic
Coastal and oceanic
Australian distribution includes North West Cape, Gulf of Carpentaria, Great Barrier Reef, Moreton Bay, Shark Bay and South East Australia including Tasmania
World distribution: cosmopolitan except for the Arctic and Antarctic oceans
Ecology
Mean generation time from egg to adult 19.5 days at 28 °C
Growth rates and egg production appear to be food limited
Broadcast spawners
Slow, continuous swimmer that generates a feeding current to entrain potential food particles
Perceives food at a distance by chemoreception
Herbivorous filter feeder
References
Dakin, W. J. and Colefax A., (1940). "The plankton of the Australian coastal waters off New South Wales Part I." Publications of the University of Sydney: 210.
Bradford-Grieve, J. M. (1994). The marine fauna of New Zealand: Pelagic Copepoda: Megacalanidae, Calanidae, Paracalanidae, Mecynoceridae, Eucalanidae, Spinocalanidae, Clausocalanidae. National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Wellington, New Zealand.
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@[Accessed May 05, 2010].
Chisholm & Roff (1990)
Wiggert et al (2008)