Acartiidae

Sars G.O., 1903

Acartiidae is a of calanoid copepods comprising over 100 described distributed throughout the world's oceans, predominantly in temperate regions. Members are epipelagic planktonic organisms that do not occur below 500 meters depth. The family is taxonomically distinguished by a rostral margin that is not extended. Species within Acartiidae are predominant and widespread in estuarine and coastal waters, though individual species typically exhibit restricted spatio-temporal distributions.

Acartiidae by (c) Leïla Brunner, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Leïla Brunner. Used under a CC-BY license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Acartiidae: /əˈkɑːrtɪ.aɪˌdiː/

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Identification

Distinguished from other calanoid copepod by the rostral margin not being extended. Family-level identification requires microscopic examination of cephalic appendage . -level identification within Acartiidae is complicated by morphological similarity among ; genetic analysis (mtCOI sequences showing 0-3% divergence) has been used to distinguish cryptic species such as A. ohtsukai and A. pacifica.

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Habitat

Epipelagic marine and brackish waters; estuarine and coastal environments. Upper water column , not found below 500 meters depth. Some occupy specific salinity : low saline continental brackish waters versus euryhaline to coastal marine waters.

Distribution

Worldwide in oceans, mainly in temperate areas. Distribution records from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. Individual may have restricted ranges: for example, Acartia ohtsukai occurs in continental brackish waters of East Asia with a relict in the Ariake Sea, Western Japan, and has been recorded in Korean waters; Acartia pacifica is broadly distributed in tropical/subtropical Indo-West Pacific coastal waters.

Behavior

segregation observed between occupying different salinity regimes. Spatio-temporal distribution patterns differ among within the .

Ecological Role

Predominant zooplankton component in estuarine and coastal waters worldwide. Forms a major constituent of epipelagic plankton in temperate marine .

Sources and further reading