University of Tasmania, Australia

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Zooplankton

UTAS Home > IMAS Home > Image Key > Copepoda > Calanoida > Sulcanidae >  Sulcanus conflictus

Sulcanus conflictus

Nicholls 1945

Taxonomy

Phylum Arthropoda
Subphylum Crustacea
Class Maxillopoda
Subclass Copepoda
Order Calanoida
Family Sulcanidae
Genus Sulcanus

Size

  • Size: 1.5-1.6 mm.

Distinguishing characteristics

  • Slender elongated body.
  • Conspicuous features are: a brush of very long setae on the 2nd maxilla that extend forward almost to the tip of the head.
  • Very long 1st antennae that extend just beyond the tip of the caudal furcae.
  • Prominent eye spot.

Distribution

  • True estuarine species.
  • Also found in inshore coastal waters.
  • Recorded from Tasmania (Nyan Taw and Ritz 1978), Victoria (Newton 1994), New South Wales (Jarvis 1979) as well as Western Australia and Queensland.

Ecology

  • Usually found in much lower densities than Gladioferans pectinatus, which is not surprising since it is carnivorous and is known to prey on the former species.
  • Can tolerate a wide range of salinity (almost fresh to full strength seawater), and temperature (~9–26°C) (Newton 1994).
  • Unlike Gladioferans pectinatus, it seems to be absent from estuaries during extended periods of freshwater flood.