Search results for "copepod"

Balaenophilus manatorum (Ortíz, Lalana and Torres, 1992) (Copepoda: Harpacticoida) from loggerhead sea turtles, Caretta caretta, from Japan and the w…

2010

The ectoparasitic harpacticoid copepod, Balaenophilus manatorum (Ortiz, Lalana and Torres, 1992) (syn. Balaenophilus umigamecolus Ogawa, Matsuzaki and Misaki, 1997), has been reported on 3 species of marine turtles from the Pacific and the Mediterranean and from the West Indian manatee off Cuba in the Caribbean. The 3 available descriptions of this species were made using light microscopy. In this paper, we provide an amended description of B. manatorum using scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) for specimens in the collection from which B. umigamecolus was originally described. This material was collected from 1 loggerhead sea turtle, Caretta caretta, from Japan. The use of SEM allowed us …

Ecological characterization and cladocerans, calanoid copepods and large branchiopods of temporary ponds in a Mediterranean island (Sicily, Southern …

2006

Temporary waters have been sporadically investigated in Sicily. These environments reflect the climatic features of the Mediterranean area with a winter ponding phase and a more or less prolonged dry period in summer. Their biota, especially those organisms strictly linked to aquatic environments and without any terrestrial life stage, have to exhibit special adaptations to survive the dry phases that are recurrent in such ecosystems. This study included more than 250 water bodies distributed on the whole Sicilian territory and on the small circum-Sicilian islands. This paper represents a first attempt to characterize Sicilian temporary waters from an ecological point of view and is mainly …

The Diaptomidae (Copepoda, Calanoida) of Tunisia and the role of spatial and environmental factors as drivers of their distribution patterns

2023

AbstractEven in a biodiversity hotspot such as the Mediterranean basin, aspects relating to the distribution of some groups of microcrustaceans still need clarification. In this paper, we critically analyse the available information on diaptomid copepods in Tunisian inland waters and, based on the largest sampling campaign to date carried out in the country, report new data on their distribution. In the frame of this study, 248 crustacean samples were collected from 190 sites, and 10 diaptomid species belonging to 7 genera and 2 subfamilies were found in the samples. Their distribution follows a climate gradient determined by precipitation, and ecological variables mainly affect diaptomid d…

Cooking infected copepods: On the survival of Guinea worm larvae

2020

Commentary: Dogs and the classic route of Guinea Worm transmission: an evaluation of copepod ingestion

2020

Dracunculus medinensis, the causative agent of Guinea worm disease in humans, is being reported with increasing frequency in dogs. However, the route(s) of transmission to dogs is still poorly understood. Classical transmission to humans occurs via drinking water that contains cyclopoid copepods infected with third stage larvae of D. medinensis, but due to the method of dog drinking (lapping) compared to humans (suction and/or retrieval of water into containers), it seems unlikely that dogs would ingest copepods readily through drinking. We exposed lab raised beagles to varying densities of uninfected copepods in 2 liters of water to evaluate the number of copepods ingested during a drinkin…

Changes in epizoic crustacean infestations during cetacean die-offs: the mass mortality of Mediterranean striped dolphins Stenella coeruleoalba revis…

2006

In the summer and autumn of 1990, a cetacean morbillivirus caused a massive epizootic mortality of striped dolphins Stenella coeruleoalba in the western Mediterranean. Previous circum- stantial evidence suggested that the disease could also have increased host susceptibility to infesta- tions with epizoic crustaceans. In this study we provide strong evidence supporting this hypothesis. We examined striped dolphins stranded along the Mediterranean central coast of Spain from 1981 to 2004 (n = 136), and recorded data on prevalence, intensity of infestation, size and reproductive status of 2 sessile crustacean species specific to cetaceans, the phoront cirriped Xenobalanus globicipitis and the…

The microcrustacean fauna of Sicily and the Central Mediterranean Sea area - Current knowledge and gaps to be filled

2006

The current knowledge of freshwater entomostracans from Sicily and some neighbouring central-Mediterranean countries is briefly reviewed. Data concerning different countries and different taxonomical groups are markedly inhomogeneous and often far from being representative of the real biota of the corresponding countries. This gap prevents a sound biogeographical analysis of the freshwater microcrustacean fauna of the area. The major gaps that have to be filled are highlighted and the need for more surveys and monitoring is emphasised.

Cryptic species within the freshwater copepod genus Hemidiaptomus (calanoida, diaptomidae).

2009

The copepod genus Hemidiaptomus is composed by about 17 large-bodied species inhabiting the freshwater temporary water bodies of the whole Palaearctic region. It currently comprises three subgenera, which are mostly parapatric and present only limited co-occurrence areas. There is no consensus on the taxonomical arrangement of the entire group, and to date no molecular studies have been carried out to test it. Accordingly, a thorough revision of the entire genus using a combined morphological and molecular approach is strongly advisable. We have thus decided to investigate the pattern of morphological and molecular diversity of three species of the genus Hemidiaptomus belonging to the three…

Fish-farming effects on benthic community structure in coastal sediments: analysis of meiofaunal recovery

2000

To study the impact of organic enrichment and high biodeposition caused by intensive fish farming in coastal sediments, meiofaunal samples were collected on a monthly basis between March and October 1997 at two stations of the Gaeta Gulf: One under the Farmocean cage (2000 m3), while the other (the control) was located at about 1 km from an area not impacted by fish farming. The fish farm contained about 120 000 Dicentrarchus labrax (density 18 kg m -3). The most evident changes in the benthic habitat under the cage were a large accumulation of primary organic material (phytopigment concentrations up to 44 μg g-1), changes in sedimentary organic matter composition (increased lipid levels re…

First record and morphological features of Hemidiaptomus (Occidodiaptomus) ingens (Gurney, 1909) (Copepoda Calanoida) in Italy

2004

During a survey, carried out to assess the consistency of microcrustacean fauna inhabiting temporary ponds in Sicily, Hemidiaptomus (Occidodiaptomus) ingens (Gurney, 1909), a large calanoid copepod up to now known only for North-African ponds, Camargue and Corse, was found in the north-western part of the island. Due to its central location in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily represents a transition zone where several chorological zones of the West Palearctic merge and converge. A brief summary of the existing literature regarding this taxon is given with some morphological considerations on the recently found population which represents the first record for Italy. In particular, the morpholog…