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Corycaeus speciosis

Dana (1849)

Download a fact sheet for Corycaeus speciosus (PDF 540KB)

Taxonomy

Phylum Arthropoda
Subphylum Crustacea
Class Maxillopoda
Subclass Copepoda
Order Cyclopoida
Family Corycaeidae
Genus Corycaeus
Species speciosus

Size

  • Female: 1.37 - 2.55 mm
  • Male: 0.75 - 2.00 mm

Distinguishing characters 

  • Proportional length of urosome somites and caudal rami
  • Female prosome points extend beyond genital somite
  • Female with long caudal rami compared to other female Corycaeus
  • Male with long caudal rami compared to other male Corycaeus
  • Male with narrow points on prosome

Male

  • Cephalosome and 1st pedigerous somite fused
  • Genital and anal somites and caudal rami in the proportional lengths 33:21:46
  • Caudal rami 2 times as long as anal somite
  • Caudal rami 12 times as long as wide
  • Prosome points extend to >1/2 genital somite
  • Anal somite >2 times as wide as long and same width over whole length
  • Distal corner of inner margin of antenna segment 2 is pointed

Female

  • Cephalosome and 1st pedigerous somite partially fused
  • Prosome points longer than genital somite
  • Divergent caudal rami longer than genital and anal somites combined
  • Setae on antenna segment 1, 3 times longer than setae on antenna segment 2

Distribution

  • Epipelagic - mesopelagic sometimes bathypelagic
  • Tropical, subtropical and temperate; possibly extending into the Subantarctic
  • Widespread in Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans

Ecology

  • Visual predators using raptorial appendages to capture small prey
  • Little is known about the ecology of this species

References

  • Bradford-Grieve, J. M., E. L. Markhaseva, et al. (1999). Copepoda. South Atlantic Zooplankton. D. Boltovskoy. Leiden, The Netherlands, Backhuys Publishers. 1: 869-1098.
  • Dahl, M. (1912). Die Copepoden der Plankton-Expedition. I. Die Corycaeinen. Mit Berucksichtigung aller bekannten Arten bearb. (Ergebnisse der Plankton-Exp. Bd II. G. f. 1.).¡¡¡¡Pages: (iv + 136) ¡¡
  • Tanaka, O. (1957[1959]). On copepoda of the family Corycaeidae in Japanese waters 1957. Contx Dep Fish Kyushu Univ 3