''Temora stylifera'' is a

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 (living in the water column), some are benthos, benthic (living on the sedimen ...

primarily found in the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

and surrounding waters.

Description

The female of ''T. stylifera'' ranges in length from about , and the male is generally between about in length.

Distribution

''T. stylifera'' is primarily found in the Atlantic, off of the coasts of

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

, northern

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

, western

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, and northern

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

. It can also be found in large numbers in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

and

Red Sea The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...

Ecology

Life cycle and reproduction

Although ''T. stylifera'' is a continuous breeder, it experiences seasonal fluctuations in egg production rate. During one study in the

Gulf of Naples The Gulf of Naples (), also called the Bay of Naples, is a roughly 15-kilometer-wide (9.3 mi) gulf located along the south-western coast of Italy (Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania region). It opens to the west into the Mediterranean ...

, maximum egg production rates were found to occur from about February to July, with minimum rates found between about August and mid-October. In an earlier study, however, maximum egg production was found in late summer, with a period of minimal reproduction occurring in winter. Females can only go about three or four days before needing to remate to continue to produce fertile eggs. The eggs hatch about 88% of the time, with a decrease in success from September to October, and stage I nauplii survive to stage II about 12% of the time. All stages of ''T. stylifera'' (from stage I nauplii to adults) are most abundant in the Gulf of Naples from August to October. During this time, stage I through III nauplii are mainly concentrated in the top of depth (although they range to ), and the older nauplii are mainly concentrated in the closest to the surface (but they can be found deeper than this). Copepodite stages I through IV are generally more abundant than stage V copepodites. Stage I through III copepodites are usually found in the top of the water column, with the distribution of older stages being variable. At some stations, older copepodites are generally found in the top , whereas at some stations, the distributions may be deeper in the season of highest abundance.

References

{{Portal bar, Crustaceans, Marine life Temoridae Copepods of the Atlantic Ocean Fauna of the Mediterranean Sea Fauna of the Red Sea Crustaceans described in 1849 Taxa named by James Dwight Dana