Oithona similis
Claus (1866)
Download a fact sheet for Oithona similis (PDF 368KB)
Taxonomy
| Phylum | Arthropoda |
| Subphylum | Crustacea |
| Class | Maxillopoda |
| Subclass | Copepoda |
| Order | Cyclopoida |
| Family | Oithonidae |
| Genus | Oithona |
| Species | similis |
Size
- Female: 0.68-0.96 mm
Distinguishing characteristics
- Rostrum rounded in dorsal view, strong and flat in lateral view
Male
- Very difficult to identify
Female
- Prosome elongate, ellipsoid in dorsal view, similar to O. decipens but more rounded
- A1 moderately long, 1.1-1.3 times prosome length
- Rostrum rounded in dorsal view, strong and flat in lateral view
- Prosome length 2.3-2.6 times width
- Prosome:Urosome 1:1 .1-1.4
- Urosome somites in length ratio 13:34:15:14:11
- Anterior third of genital somite swollen laterally
Distribution
- Very widespread
Ecology
- Varies a lot in size
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.