Anomalocera opalus - Species Card - Marine Planktonic Copepods

Species Card of Copepod

Calanoida ( Order )	details
Diaptomoidea ( Superfamily )	details
Pontellidae ( Family )	details
Anomalocera ( Genus )	details	List species for this Genus

Anomalocera opalus Pennel, 1976 (F,M)

Abbreviations or symbols

Syn.:

Anomalocera patersoni : Shih & al., 1971 (p.43)

Ref.:

(

List of the studied authors )

Pennel, 1976 (p.1664, figs.F,M); G. Harding, 2004 (p.15, figs.F,M);

Species Anomalocera opalus - Plate 1 of morphological figures

issued from : W.M. Pennell in Can. J. Zool., 1976, 54. [p.1665, Fig.1. A, Fig.2 a].
Female (from G. of St Lawrence): Fig.1A, habitus (lateral right side); Fig.2a, urosome (dorsal).
Nota: The dorsal surface of the head bears a small flattened structure that is used for attachment to the sea surface apparently by surface tension; observations indicate that surface attachment is importatant in the life of this species. The structure is found on all copepodite stages and on several other species of pontellid copepods, including A. patersoni and A. ornata (See in Pennell, 1973).

Species Anomalocera opalus - Plate 2 of morphological figures

issued from : W.M. Pennell in Can. J. Zool., 1976, 54. [p.1666, Fig.3, a, b].
Female: a, urosome (lateral right side); b, idem (lateral left side).
Nota: The posterior corners of the last prosome segment are more sharply pointed in A. opalus than in A. patersoni.

Species Anomalocera opalus - Plate 3 of morphological figures

issued from : W.M. Pennell in Can. J. Zool., 1976, 54. [p.1667, Fig.5c].
Female: c, urosome (ventral).
Nota: On the ventral surface of the genital segment, O. opalus bears two large protuberances that are absent in A. patersoni. The genital opening differs in the two species; it is oval in and round in A. patersoni

Species Anomalocera opalus - Plate 4 of morphological figures

issued from : W.M. Pennell in Can. J. Zool., 1976, 54. [p.1667, Fig.4a, 5a].
Male: Fig.4a, urosome (dorsal); Fig.5a, urosome (lateral right side).

Species Anomalocera opalus - Plate 5 of morphological figures

issued from : W.M. Pennell in Can. J. Zool., 1976, 54. [p.1668, Fig.6]. Regression of length of first prosome segment on length of genital segment in A. opalus and females.

Species Anomalocera opalus - Plate 6 of morphological figures

issued from : W.M. Pennell in Can. J. Zool., 1976, 54. [p.1668, Fig.6]. Regression of length of first prosome segment on length of genital segment in A. opalus and males.

Species Anomalocera opalus - Plate 7 of morphological figures

issued from : G. Harding in Key to the adullt pelagic calanoid copepods found over the continental shelf of the Canadian Atlantic coast. Bedford Inst. Oceanogr., Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, 2004. [p.15].
Female & Male.

Compl. Ref.:

(

List of the studied authors )

Tremblay & Anderson, 1984 (p.5: Rem.)

NZ:

Distribution map of Anomalocera opalus by geographical zones

Loc:

(

Geographical glossary )

NW Atlant. (G. of St. Lawrence, G. of Maine, Nova Scotia)

Lg.:

(

References of the authors concerning dimensions )

(453: Prosome only) F: 2,08-4,00; M: 2,70-3,40

Rem.:

Pennell (1976, p.1665) points to the right A1 of the male and the P5 of both sexes are frequently used as diagnostic structures to distinguish species of copepods. In the case of A. opalus and A. patersoni these structures did not appear to differ greatly. The morphological differences between the species found in the last prosome and genital segments are great and easily seen without dissection.

Last update : 29/12/2014


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