NDLI: Taxonomic diversity and identification problems of oncaeid microcopepods in the Mediterranean Sea

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Taxonomic diversity and identification problems of oncaeid microcopepods in the Mediterranean Sea

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Böttger Schnack, Ruth Schnack, Dietrich
Copyright Year	2009
Abstract	The species diversity of the pelagic microcopepod family Oncaeidae collected with nets of 0.1-mm mesh size was studied at 6 stations along a west-to-east transect in the Mediterranean Sea down to a maximum depth of 1,000 m. A total of 27 species and two form variants have been identified, including three new records for the Mediterranean. In addition, about 20, as yet undescribed, new morphospecies were found (mainly from the genera Epicalymma and Triconia) which need to be examined further. The total number of identified oncaeid species was similar in the Western and Eastern Basins, but for some co-occurring sibling species, the estimated numerical dominance changed. The deep-sea fauna of Oncaeidae, studied at selected depth layers between 400 m and the near-bottom layer at >4,200 m depth in the eastern Mediterranean (Levantine Sea), showed rather constant species numbers down to ∼3,000 m depth. In the near-bottom layers, the diversity of oncaeids declined and species of Epicalymma strongly increased in numerical importance. The taxonomic status of all oncaeid species recorded earlier in the Mediterranean Sea is evaluated: 19 out of the 46 known valid oncaeid species are insufficiently described, and most of the taxonomically unresolved species (13 species) have originally been described from this area (type locality). The deficiencies in the species identification of oncaeids cast into doubt the allegedly cosmopolitan distribution of some species, in particular those of Mediterranean origin. The existing identification problems even of well-described oncaeid species are exemplified for the Oncaea media-complex, including O. media Giesbrecht, O. scottodicarloi Heron & Bradford-Grieve, and O. waldemari Bersano & Boxshall, which are often erroneously identified as a single species (O. media). The inadequacy in the species identification of Oncaeidae, in particular those from the Atlantic and Mediterranean, is mainly due to the lack of reliable identification keys for Oncaeidae in warm-temperate and/or tropical seas. Future efforts should be directed to the construction of identification keys that can be updated according to the latest taxonomic findings, which can be used by the non-expert as well as by the specialist. The adequate consideration of the numerous, as yet undescribed, microcopepod species in the world oceans, in particular the Oncaeidae, is a challenge for the study of the structure and function of plankton communities as well as for global biodiversity estimates.
Starting Page	131
Ending Page	145
Page Count	15
File Format	PDF
ISSN	18671616
Journal	Marine Biodiversity
Volume Number	39
Issue Number	2
e-ISSN	18671624
Language	English
Publisher	Springer-Verlag
Publisher Date	2009-06-03
Publisher Place	Berlin, Heidelberg
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	Copepoda Oncaeidae Mediterranean Sea Species diversity Deep-sea Oncaea media-complex Animal Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography Plant Systematics/Taxonomy/Biogeography Freshwater & Marine Ecology Biodiversity
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Aquatic Science Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics Oceanography

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