Copepods are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat. Some species are planktonic, some are benthic, a number of species have parasitic phases, and some continental species may live in limnoterrestrial habitats and other wet terrestrial places, such as swamps, under leaf fall in wet forests, bogs, springs, ephemeral ponds, puddles, damp moss, or water-filled recesses of plants (phytotelmata) such as bromeliads and pitcher plants. Many live underground in marine and freshwater caves, sinkholes, or stream beds. Copepods are sometimes used as biodiversity indicators.
Siphonostomatoida is an order of copepods, containing around 75% of all the copepods that parasitise fishes. Their success has been linked to their possession of siphon-like mandibles and of a "frontal filament" to aid attachment to their hosts. Most are marine, but a few live in fresh water. There are 40 recognised families:
Oncaeidae is a family of copepods, containing the following genera:
Oncaea is a genus of copepods. The genus contains bioluminescent species. Unlike other bioluminescent copepods, Oncaea have an internal (non-secreted) bioluminescence. Oncaea contains the following species:
Sapphirina, whose members are commonly known as sea sapphires, is a genus of parasitic copepods in the family Sapphirinidae.
Acartia is a genus of marine calanoid copepods. They are epipelagic, estuarine, zooplanktonic found throughout the oceans of the world, primarily in temperate regions.
Wilhelm Giesbrecht (1854–1913) was a Prussian zoologist, specialising in copepods, during the "golden age of copepodology".
Tegastidae is a family of copepods, which are characterised by having laterally compressed bodies, a claw-like mandible in the nauplius stage, and by a modified male genital complex. 85 species have been described in 6 genera. Two species of Smacigastes are found at hydrothermal vents, while the remaining species are found in shallow water, associated with algae, bryozoans and cnidarians, such as corals.
Copilia is a genus of copepods in the family Sapphirinidae. The eyes in members of this genus have two lenses, arranged like those in a telescope.
Augaptilidae is a family of copepods.
Centropages is a genus of copepods in the family Centropagidae with 34 known marine species.
Artotrogidae is a family of copepods in the order Siphonostomatoida.
The clade Multicrustacea constitutes the largest superclass of crustaceans, containing approximately four-fifths of all described crustacean species, including crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill, prawns, woodlice, barnacles, copepods, amphipods, mantis shrimp and others. The largest branch of multicrustacea is the class Malacostraca.
Temora is a genus of copepods in the family Temoridae. The World Register of Marine Species lists the following species:
Oithona is a planktonic crustacean genus found in marine, brackish, fresh water environments. Oithona has been described as the most ubiquitous and abundant copepod in the world's oceans. It was first described by Baird in 1843 using the species Oithona plumifera as taxon type.
Temora discaudata is a copepod in the family Temoridae. It was first described in 1849 by James Dwight Dana, being placed in the Calanus genus. It was described as a member of the Temora genus in 1889 by Prussian zoologist Wilhelm Giesbrecht. The female measures between 1.68 mm to 2.05 mm in length, while the male ranges between 1.65 and 1.85 mm. It is found in the Pacific, Indian, and (marginally) Atlantic Oceans.
Laophontidae is a family of copepods belonging to the order Harpacticoida.
Aetideidae is a family of copepods belonging to the order Calanoida.
Arietellidae is a family of copepods belonging to the order Calanoida.
Candacia is a genus of copepods in the order Calanoida. It is the only genus in the monotypic family Candaciidae.
