''Macrocyclops albidus'' is a larvivorous

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 p ...

species.

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 Mosquitoes (or mosquitos) are members of a group of almost 3,600 species of small flies within the family Culicidae (from the Latin ''culex'' meaning "gnat"). The word "mosquito" (formed by ''mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish for "lit ...

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. Th ...

e. ''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. In laboratory studies, the common ''Macrocyclopsis'' killed an average of 27 first-

instar An instar (, from the Latin '' īnstar'', "form", "likeness") is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, between each moult (''ecdysis''), until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to grow o ...

Culex quinquefasciatus ''Culex'' is a genus of mosquitoes, several species of which serve as vectors of one or more important diseases of birds, humans, and other animals. The diseases they vector include arbovirus infections such as West Nile virus, Japanese encep ...

'' larvae/copepod/day. ''Macrocyclops albidus'' is a known intermediate host for the hermaphroditic parasite ''

Schistocephalus solidus ''Schistocephalus solidus'' is a tapeworm of fish, fish-eating birds and rodents. This hermaphroditic parasite belongs to the Eucestoda subclass, of class Cestoda. This species has been used to demonstrate that cross-fertilization produces a high ...

'', 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. ''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.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3809119 Cyclopidae Crustaceans described in 1820