Copepoda

Thesaurus

Noun

Copepoda - minute planktonic or parasitic crustaceanssubclass Copepodaclass Crustacea, Crustacea - class of mandibulate arthropods including: lobsters; crabs; shrimps; woodlice; barnacles; decapods; water fleascopepod, copepod crustacean - minute marine or freshwater crustaceans usually having six pairs of limbs on the thorax; some abundant in plankton and others parasitic on fishgenus Cyclops - copepod water fleasBranchiura, order Branchiura - copepods with suctorial mouthparts; parasitic on fishesclass - (biology) a taxonomic group containing one or more orders

Copepoda

[kō′pep·ə·də] (invertebrate zoology) An order of Crustacea commonly included in the Entomostraca; contains free-living, parasitic, and symbiotic forms.

Copepoda

an order of invertebrate animals of the class Crustacea. Copepoda are from 0.1 to 13 mm in size. A streamlined body with strongly developed extremities, which carry long falling antennules, is characteristic for Copepoda living mainly in the water, whereas Copepoda living near the bottom have thickened bodies and short extremities. Parasitic Copepoda have strongly adapted bodies in accordance with their modes of existence. Copepoda show various colorations. Specific (copepodan) stages of metamorphoses are characteristic of the Copepoda; they occur after the nauplius stage. Copepoda are distributed everywhere, in sea and fresh water. In the sea they constitute up to 90 percent of the plankton. Copepoda, particularly the large types of the calanides (Calanus finmarchicus, C. plumchrus, Eucalanus bungii, Pseudocalanus elongatus, and others) and the cyclopeds (Oithinia similis), have great practical significance, as feed for many commercial fish (herring, sardines, anchovies, and sprats) and for the young of almost all fish. In addition, Copepoda feed the baleen whale. A genus of Copepoda (the Cyclopes) are the intermediate hosts for certain worms (tapeworms and round worms) that are parasitical to humans and can cause serious illnesses, such as guinea worm. Certain maritime Copepoda are parasites on worms, ascidians, fish, and whales. The freshwater varieties are parasites on fish and often cause massive kills in the pond and lake fish industry.

REFERENCES

Zhizn’ presnykh vod SSSR, vol. 1. Edited by V. I. Zhadin. Moscow-Leningrad, 1940.
V. A. Dogel’. Zoologiia bespozvonochnykh, 5th ed. Moscow, 1959.

K. A. BRODSKII

Copepoda

Co·pep·o·da

(kō-pep'ō-dă), An order of abundant, free-living, freshwater and marine crustaceans of basic importance in the aquatic food chain in both the marine and freshwater environments; some species are commonly called water fleas. Some are ectoparasites of both cold-blooded and warm-blooded aquatic vertebrates; the parasitic copepods of fish and whales are often highly modified for deep penetration of the skin or for adherence by suckers and hooks (for example, the fish lice, Argulus). Certain copepods (Cyclops, Diaptomus) are important as intermediate hosts of the tapeworm Diphyllobothrium latum and of the nematode Dracunculus medinensis. [G. kōpē, an oar, + pous (pod-), a foot]

Copepoda

Copepoda

Copepoda

Copepoda

REFERENCES

Copepoda

Co·pep·o·da

Copepoda

Synonyms for Copepoda

noun minute planktonic or parasitic crustaceans

Synonyms

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