Calanoida is an

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...

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

s, a group of arthropods commonly found as

zooplankton Zooplankton are the animal component of the planktonic community ("zoo" comes from the Greek word for ''animal''). Plankton are aquatic organisms that are unable to swim effectively against currents, and consequently drift or are carried along by ...

. The order includes around 46 families with about 1800 species of both marine and

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does incl ...

s between them.

Description

Calanoids can be distinguished from other planktonic copepods by having first antennae at least half the length of the body and biramous second antennae. However, their most distinctive anatomical trait is the presence of a joint between the fifth and sixth body segments. The largest specimens reach long, but most do not exceed long.

Classification

Calanoida contains the following families, as well as the genus '' Microdisseta'' (which is currently ''

incertae sedis ' () or ''problematica'' is a term used for a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertain ...

''); *

Acartiidae Acartiidae is a family of calanoid copepods distinguishable by the rostral margin not being extended. They are epipelagic, plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in water (or air) that are unable to propel themselv ...

* Aetideidae * Arctokonstantinidae *

Arietellidae Arietellidae is a family of copepods belonging to the order Calanoida Calanoida is an order of copepods, a group of arthropods commonly found as zooplankton. The order includes around 46 families with about 1800 species of both marine and fr ...

Augaptilidae Augaptilidae is a family of copepods, comprising the following genera: *'' Alrhabdus'' Grice, 1973 *'' Augaptilina'' G. O. Sars, 1920 *'' Augaptilus'' Giesbrecht, 1889 *'' Centraugaptilus'' G. O. Sars, 1920 *''Euaugaptilus ''Euaugaptilus'' is a ...

Bathypontiidae Bathypontiidae is a family of copepods belonging to the order Calanoida Calanoida is an order of copepods, a group of arthropods commonly found as zooplankton. The order includes around 46 families with about 1800 species of both marine and f ...

Calanidae Calanidae is the largest taxonomic family of calanoid copepods. It includes the genus '' Calanus'', which may be the most abundant metazoan genus on Earth. Copepods of the genera '' Calanus'' and '' Neocalanus'' are ecologically important in th ...

Calocalanidae Paracalanidae is a family of Calanoid copepod Copepods (; meaning "oar-feet") are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat. Some species are planktonic (inhabiting sea waters), some are benthic (livin ...

Candaciidae ''Candacia'' is a genus of copepods in the order Calanoida. It is the only genus in the monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one tha ...

Centropagidae Centropagidae is a family of copepods in the order Calanoida. Its members are particularly known as plankton in coastal waters and in fresh water in Australia and southern South America. They are also found on subantarctic islands and in lakes i ...

* Clausocalanidae *

Diaixidae Diaixidae is a family of copepods belonging to the order Calanoida Calanoida is an order of copepods, a group of arthropods commonly found as zooplankton. The order includes around 46 families with about 1800 species of both marine and freshw ...

Diaptomidae Diaptomidae is a family of freshwater pelagic copepods. It includes around 50 genera: *'' Acanthodiaptomus'' Kiefer, 1932 *'' Aglaodiaptomus'' Light, 1938 *'' Allodiaptomus'' Kiefer, 1936 *'' Arctodiaptomus'' Kiefer, 1932 *'' Argyrodiaptomus'' B ...

* Discoidae *

Epacteriscidae Epacteriscidae is a family of copepods belonging to the order Calanoida Calanoida is an order of copepods, a group of arthropods commonly found as zooplankton. The order includes around 46 families with about 1800 species of both marine and f ...

Eucalanidae Eucalanidae is a family of copepods belonging to the order Calanoida Calanoida is an order of copepods, a group of arthropods commonly found as zooplankton. The order includes around 46 families with about 1800 species of both marine and fres ...

* Euchaetidae * Fosshageniidae *

Heterorhabdidae Heterorhabdidae is a family of copepods belonging to the order Calanoida Calanoida is an order of copepods, a group of arthropods commonly found as zooplankton. The order includes around 46 families with about 1800 species of both marine and ...

* Hyperbionychidae * Lucicutiidae * Mecynoceridae * Megacalanidae * Mesaiokeratidae *

Metridinidae Metridinidae is a family of copepods, comprising three genera – '' Gaussia'', '' Metridia'' and '' Pleuromamma''. It has also been referred to as "Metridiidae", but following a petition to the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclatur ...

* Nullosetigeridae *

Paracalanidae Paracalanidae is a family of Calanoid copepod Copepods (; meaning "oar-feet") are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat. Some species are planktonic (inhabiting sea waters), some are benthic (livin ...

Parapontellidae Parapontellidae is a family of copepods belonging to the order Calanoida Calanoida is an order of copepods, a group of arthropods commonly found as zooplankton. The order includes around 46 families with about 1800 species of both marine and ...

* Parkiidae *

Phaennidae Phaennidae is a family of planktonic copepods, found in pelagic or benthopelagic waters. It contains the following genera: * '' Brachycalanus'' Farran, 1905 * '' Cephalophanes'' Sars, 1907 * '' Cornucalanus'' Wolfenden, 1905 * '' Kirnesius'' Mark ...

* Phyllopodidae *

Pontellidae Pontellidae is a family of copepods in the order Calanoida Calanoida is an order of copepods, a group of arthropods commonly found as zooplankton. The order includes around 46 families with about 1800 species of both marine and freshwater cop ...

* Pseudocyclopidae (syn: Boholinidae) * Pseudocyclopiidae * Pseudodiaptomidae * Ridgewayiidae *

Ryocalanidae Ryocalanidae is a family of crustaceans belonging to the order Calanoida Calanoida is an order of copepods, a group of arthropods commonly found as zooplankton. The order includes around 46 families with about 1800 species of both marine and ...

* Scolecitrichidae *

Spinocalanidae Spinocalanidae is a family of copepods belonging to the order Calanoida Calanoida is an order of copepods, a group of arthropods commonly found as zooplankton. The order includes around 46 families with about 1800 species of both marine and f ...

Stephidae Stephidae is a family of copepods belonging to the order Calanoida Calanoida is an order of copepods, a group of arthropods commonly found as zooplankton. The order includes around 46 families with about 1800 species of both marine and freshw ...

* Subeucalanidae *

Sulcanidae ''Sulcanus'' is a monotypic genus of crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, ...

Temoridae Temoridae is a family of copepods, containing the following genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classific ...

Tharybidae Tharybidae is a family of copepods belonging to the order Calanoida. Genera: * ''Neoscolecithrix'' Canu, 1896 * ''Parundinella'' Fleminger, 1957 * ''Rythabis'' Schulz & Beckmann, 1995 * ''Tharybis'' Sars, 1902 * ''Undinella'' Sars, 1900 Referen ...

Tortanidae Tortanidae is a family of copepods within the order Calanoida Calanoida is an order of copepods, a group of arthropods commonly found as zooplankton. The order includes around 46 families with about 1800 species of both marine and freshwater ...

Ecology

Calanoid copepods are the dominant animals in the

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in water (or air) that are unable to propel themselves against a current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankters. In the ocean, they provide a cruc ...

in many parts of the world's oceans, making up 55%–95% of plankton samples. They are therefore important in many food webs, taking in energy from

phytoplankton Phytoplankton () are the autotrophic (self-feeding) components of the plankton community and a key part of ocean and freshwater ecosystems. The name comes from the Greek words (), meaning 'plant', and (), meaning 'wanderer' or 'drifter'. ...

and

algae Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular micr ...

and 'repackaging' it for consumption by higher

trophic level The trophic level of an organism is the position it occupies in a food web. A food chain is a succession of organisms that eat other organisms and may, in turn, be eaten themselves. The trophic level of an organism is the number of steps it ...

predators. Many commercial fish are dependent on calanoid copepods for diet in either their

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

l or adult forms.

Baleen whale Baleen whales ( systematic name Mysticeti), also known as whalebone whales, are a parvorder of carnivorous marine mammals of the infraorder Cetacea ( whales, dolphins and porpoises) which use keratinaceous baleen plates (or "whalebone") in t ...

s such as

bowhead whale The bowhead whale (''Balaena mysticetus'') is a species of baleen whale belonging to the family Balaenidae and the only living representative of the genus '' Balaena''. They are the only baleen whale endemic to the Arctic and subarctic waters, a ...

sei whale The sei whale ( , ; ''Balaenoptera borealis'') is a baleen whale, the third-largest rorqual after the blue whale and the fin whale. It inhabits most oceans and adjoining seas, and prefers deep offshore waters. It avoids polar and tropical w ...

right whale Right whales are three species of large baleen whales of the genus ''Eubalaena'': the North Atlantic right whale (''E. glacialis''), the North Pacific right whale (''E. japonica'') and the Southern right whale (''E. australis''). They are c ...

s and

fin whale The fin whale (''Balaenoptera physalus''), also known as finback whale or common rorqual and formerly known as herring whale or razorback whale, is a cetacean belonging to the parvorder of baleen whales. It is the second-longest species of ceta ...

s rely substantially on calanoid copepods as a food source.

References

External links

* *
Calanoida fact sheet – guide to the marine zooplankton of south eastern Australia

Classification of Calanoida

Key to calanoid copepod families
{{Taxonbar, from=Q478553 Crustacean orders