Macrocyclops albidus

Macrocyclops albidus is a larvivorous copepod species.

Macrocyclops albidus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Copepoda
Order: Cyclopoida
Family: Cyclopidae
Genus: Macrocyclops
Species:
M. albidus
Binomial name
Macrocyclops albidus
(Jurine, 1820) [1]

Ecology

It makes its habitat in still fresh waters such as in residential roadside ditches, pools, ponds, and other environments with sufficient food supply.

Macrocyclopsis feed on mosquito larvae. Macrocyclops albidus has proven highly efficient in controlling mosquitoes, reaching close to 90% reduction in larval survival under field conditions and exceeding the recommended predation rates for effective mosquito control in laboratory experiments.[2] In laboratory studies, the common Macrocyclopsis killed an average of 27 first-instar Culex quinquefasciatus larvae/copepod/day.[3]

Macrocyclops albidus is a known intermediate host for the hermaphroditic parasite Schistocephalus solidus, a tapeworm of fish and fish-eating birds.

Classification

Macrocyclops is a member of Crustacea: Copepoda. The genus Macrocyclops is characterized by a fifth leg of two distinct segments, the distal segment bearing three spines or setae on its terminal end.[4] Macrocyclops albidus is distinguished by the bare medial surface of the caudal rami and the hyaline membrane on the last segment of the antennule, which is smooth or finely serrated.[4]

References
  1. "Macrocyclops albidus (Jurine, 1820)". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved November 29, 2011.
  2. Jorge R. Rey; Sheila O’Connell; Silvia Suárez; Zulema Menéndez; L. Philip Lounibos; Gracie Byer (June 2004). "Laboratory and field studies of Macrocyclops albidus (Crustacea: Copepoda) for biological control of mosquitoes in artificial containers in a subtropical environment" (PDF). Journal of Vector Ecology. 29 (1): 124–34. PMID 15266749. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2010-10-04.
  3. Gerald G. Marten; Mieu Nguyen; Bruce J. Mason; Giai Ngo (June 2000). "Natural control of Culex quinquefasciatus larvae in residential ditches by the copepod Macrocyclops albidus" (PDF). Journal of Vector Ecology. 25 (1): 7–15. PMID 10925792.
  4. "Macrocyclops albidus (Jurine 1820)". Free-living and Parasitic Copepods (Including Branchiurans) of the Laurentian Great Lakes. USGS Great Lakes Science Center.
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