Leptodiaptomus sicilis

Leptodiaptomus sicilis is a calanoid copepod native to the Laurentian Great Lakes and its basin.

Leptodiaptomus sicilis
Female and male L. sicilis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Hexanauplia
Order: Calanoida
Family: Diaptomidae
Genus: Leptodiaptomus
Species:
L. sicilis
Binomial name
Leptodiaptomus sicilis
(S.A. Forbes, 1882)

Distribution

The species is found all over North America, north of Missouri, in fresh and saline waters. It is found in all the Great Lakes but is most abundant in Lake Superior.[1]

Morphology

Leptodiaptomus sicilis adult females are distinguished by their three-segmented urosome; pointed, triangular metasomal wings with minute sensilla; and the genital segment without obvious lateral projections. In the mature male, the right exopod lateral spine of leg 5 is located in the middle of the segment, is quite long, and projects almost perpendicularly to the segment. In addition, the projections on the left exopod terminal segment are short, blunt, and well-separated. The right antennule on the male has a long, slender process coming off the terminal end of the third segment from the distal end and the metasomal wings are expanded and triangular in shape.[2] These species are physcially similar to other leptodiaptomids (Leptodiaptomus ashlandi, Leptodiaptomus minutus and skistodiaptomids (Skistodiaptomus oregonensis).

Ecology

Leptodiaptomus sicilis are known prey items for a number of native and non-native Great Lakes fishes. They are also prey items for other invertebrate zooplankton. Remains have been found within gut-contents of Mysis diluviana[3] and are trophically below Limnocalanus macrurus[4] while also primarily a herbivore.[5]

References
  1. Mary D. Balcer, Nancy L. Korda & Stanley I. Dodson (1984). "Life history and ecology of the major crustacean species". Zooplankton of the Great Lakes: a guide to the identification and ecology of the common crustacean species. University of Wisconsin Press. pp. 49–109. ISBN 978-0-299-09820-9.
  2. Hudson, Patrick L., and Lynn T. Lesko. 2003. Free-living and Parasitic Copepods of the Laurentian Great Lakes: Keys and Details on Individual Species. Ann Arbor, MI: Great Lakes Science Center Home Page. http://www.glsc.usgs.gov/greatlakescopepods/MainMenu.php?
  3. Brian P. O'Malley, David B. Bunnell. 2014. Diet of Mysis diluviana reveals seasonal patterns of omnivory and consumption of invasive species in offshore Lake Michigan, Journal of Plankton Research, Volume 36, Issue 4, July/August 2014, Pages 989–1002, https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/fbu038
  4. Doubek, J. P., & Lehman, J. T. (2014). Historical trophic position of Limnocalanus macrurus in lake Michigan. Journal of Great Lakes Research, 40(4), 1027-1032.
  5. Nasworthy, K. C., Scofield, A. E., & Rudstam, L. G. (2019). Feeding ecology of Limnocalanus macrurus in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Journal of Great Lakes Research.
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