''Epischura massachusettsensis'' is a species of

copepod Copepods (; meaning "oar-feet") are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat (ecology), habitat. Some species are planktonic (inhabiting sea waters), some are benthos, benthic (living on the ocean floor) ...

in the family

Temoridae Temoridae is a family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its mem ...

, endemic to Massachusetts. It is listed as

Data Deficient A data deficient (DD) species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as offering insufficient information for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made. This does not necessaril ...

on the IUCN Red List. Adult males are around long.

Taxonomic history

''E. massachusettsensis'' was first described by

Arthur Sperry Pearse Arthur Sperry Pearse (1877–1956) was a botanist and zoologist from the United States. He was born at a Pawnee people reserve in Crete, Nebraska, where his parents had a commercial outpost. He earn a BA at the University of Nebraska in 1900 and a ...

in 1906 in a work on the ''Fresh-Water Copepoda of Massachusetts'' published in '' The American Naturalist''. This description was based on nine female specimens collected near Wellesley, Massachusetts in April 1905, and the brevity of the description, and the paucity of the material raised some doubts about the species' validity. Subsequent collections were able to demonstrate that the species was indeed valid.

References

Temoridae Fauna of New England Freshwater crustaceans of North America Crustaceans described in 1906 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{copepod-stub