Calanoid
Guides
Acartia
Acartia is a genus of marine calanoid copepods comprising the majority of species in the family Acartiidae. They are small, planktonic crustaceans found primarily in temperate coastal and estuarine waters worldwide. The genus includes ecologically important species such as A. tonsa, which is among the most abundant and well-studied estuarine copepods globally. Acartia species serve as key intermediaries in aquatic food webs and are increasingly used as model organisms for studying coastal plankton dynamics, thermal ecology, and phylogeographic patterns.
Centropagidae
Centropagidae is a family of calanoid copepods comprising 14 genera and over 130 species. Members occupy diverse aquatic habitats including marine coastal waters, freshwater lakes, and saline lakes across the Southern Hemisphere, with notable concentrations in Australia, southern South America, subantarctic islands, and Antarctica. The family exhibits significant habitat diversity: marine genera include Centropages, Dussartopages, and Gladioferens; freshwater genera include Boeckella, Calamoecia, and Hemiboeckella. The genus Boeckella poppei represents the only terrestrial/freshwater invertebrate reported from all three main Antarctic biogeographic regions (subantarctic islands, maritime Antarctic, and continental Antarctic).
Diaptomidae
Diaptomidae is a family of freshwater pelagic copepods comprising approximately 50 genera. Members are the most widespread copepods in lentic inland waters of the Palearctic region. The family contains two subfamilies: Diaptominae and Paradiaptominae, with the latter consisting almost exclusively of African taxa. Diaptomids exhibit high species richness in tropical and Mediterranean regions, with numerous endemic species.
Temoridae
Temoridae is a family of calanoid copepods established by Giesbrecht in 1893. The family includes seven genera: Epischura, Epischurella, Eurytemora, Ganchosia, Heterocope, Lahmeyeria, and Temora. Members inhabit diverse aquatic environments ranging from freshwater lakes to brackish estuaries and marine coastal waters. The genus Eurytemora has been extensively studied due to its species complex containing cryptic species with significant genetic and morphological heterogeneity.