Oithona plumifera
Baird (1843)
Download a fact sheet for Oithona plumifera (PDF 311KB)
Taxonomy
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum | Crustacea |
| Class | Maxillopoda |
| Subclass | Copepoda |
| Order | Cyclopoida |
| Family | Oithonidae |
| Genus | Oithona |
| Species | plumifera |
Size
- Female: 1.11-1.51 mm
Distinguishing characteristics
- Rostrum is distinctly pointed in dorsal view
- Orange coloured plumes may be present
- Tuft of hairs on anterior ventral surface of genital somite
Male
- Very difficult to identify
Female
- Plumes may be present
- Anterior cephalosome is narrowed into pointed section
- A1 long, reaches anal somite
- Rostrum shape is distinctively pointed, rostrum visible in dorsal view
- Proportional lengths of urosome somites and caudal ramus 10:28:15:16:16:15
- Genital somite, twice as long as wide, swollen laterally on anterior third
- Characteristic tuft of hairs on ventral side of genital somite
- Caudal rami slightly shorter than anal somite
- Can be confused with O. setigera, O. atlantica, O. longispina. Consider size, body form and the length of the distal outer marginal spine on P4 Re3
Distribution
Ecology
References
- Nishida, S. (1985). "Taxonomy and distribution of the family Oithonidae (Copepoda, Cyclopoida) in the Pacific and Indian oceans." Bulletin of the Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo. Tokyo. no. 20: 1-167.