Crustaceans: Cyclopid Copepods

Despite the diverse climatic and hydrological conditions, as well as the common occurence of inland, surface and ground waters, the copepod fauna of the Australian continent is still about almost unknown.

Research and papers relating to this group of microcrustaceans have appeared scattered and infrequently throughout the past literature (Lindberg 1948, 1953; Brehm 1950, 1953; Chappuis 1951; Kiefer 1967, 1969, 1981; Morton 1985, 1990; Timms & Morton 1988); moreover the greatest part of these papers are related to harpacticoid copepods and to Victoria, New South Wales and the Northern territory.

Cyclopoid copepods, most those from the Western Australia, were almost completely unknown since recently Humphreys a.o. (Western Australian Museum) intensively collected them, and other interesting stygobitic fauna (Remipedia, Spelaeogriphacea,etc.), from a variety of different groundwater habitats (sinkholes, anchihaline caves and pools, wells, etc.) in the North (Cape Range Peninsula) and Southwest part of the country.

The above research, still in progress, revealed the presence of a considerable number of cyclopid genera and species new to the australian continent, and new taxa, for the most part stygobitic and endemic to Australia, which greatly enlarge the total number of copepod taxa of the Australian continent.

However, as in other tropical areas, species richness seems still to be reduced as compared to that in temperate regions, and the majority of the species are eurytropic and widespread, with a low number of endemisms.

Other recent, continuing research, carried out by Dr. S. Halse, with the collaboration of the Environmental Science Department of the University of L'Aquila (Italy), on the fauna of lake McLeod, river pools, claypans and birridas (claypans with groundwater connection to the sea) in the Perth area (Southwest Australia), are revealing more remarkable cyclopid copepods, including genera (Neocyclops) new to Australia and undescribed species of the genera Diacyclops, Metacyclops and Thermocyclops.

At present 47 species and subspecies of cyclopid copepods, including both surface and subterranean taxa, are known for Australia, the most prolific genera being Mesocyclops (8 species) and Eucyclops (7 species).

In the following list stygobitic and endemic taxa are marked with one and two asterisks respectively.

Halicyclops ambiguus Kiefer 1966 (*, **)
Halicyclops spinifer Kiefer 1935
Halicyclops longifurcatus Pesce, De Laurentiis & Humphreys, 1996 (*, **)
Halicyclops rochai De Laurentiiis, Pesce & Humphreys, 1999 (*, **)
Halicyclops eberhardi De Laurentiiis, Pesce & Humphreys,2001 (*, **)
Neocyclops (Neocyclops) petkovskii De Laurentiis, Pesce & Halse (1997 (**)
Eucyclops serrulatus (Fischer 1851)
Eucyclops euacanthus ( G.O. Sars 1909)
Eucyclops bayli Morton 1990 (*, **)
Eucyclops australiensis Morton 1990 (*, **)
Eucyclops spatulatus Morton 1990 (*, **)
Eucyclops nichollsi Brehm 1950
Eucyclops ruttneri Kiefer 1933
Eucyclops linderi Lindberg 1948 (*, **)
[= Paracyclops linderi, according to Morton, 1990]
Ectocyclops rubescens Brady 1904
Paracyclops timmsi Kiefer 1969 (**)
Paracyclops affinis ( G.O. Sars 1863)
Paracyclops poppei (Rehberg 1880)
Paracyclops fimbriatus (Fischer 1853)
Cyclops mac-leayi Dana 1848 (**)
Acanthocyclops robustus ( G.O. Sars 1863)
Australocyclops similis Morton 1985 (*, **)
Australocyclops australis Morton 1985 (*, **)
Australocyclops palustrium Morton 1985 (*, **)
Apocyclops dengizicus (Lepechkine 1900)
Diacyclops bisetosus (Rehberg 1880)
Diacyclops cryonastes Morton 1985 (*, **)
Diacyclops humphreysi Pesce & De Laurentiis 1996 (*, **)
Diacyclops reidae De Laurentiis, Pesce & Humphreys, 1999 (*, **)
Diacyclops einslei De Laurentiis, Pesce & Humphreys, 1999 (*, **)
Mesocyclops notius Kiefer 1981 (**)
Mesocyclops australiensis (G. O. Sars 1908) (*, **)
Mesocyclops albicans Smith 1909 (**)
Mesocyclops darwini Dussart & Fernando 1988 (**)
Mesocyclops cuttacuttae Dumont & Maas 1985 (*, **)
Mesocyclops brooksi Pesce, De Laurentiis & Humphreys, 1996 (*, **)
Mesocyclops thermocyclopoides Harada 1931
Mesocyclops pehpeiensis Hu 1943 (?)
Metacyclops mortoni Pesce a.o. 1966 (*, **)
Metacyclops cf. monacanthus Kiefer, 1928
Metacyclops fiersi De Laurentiis, Pesce & Humphreys, 2001 (*, **)
Meridiecyclops baylyi Fiers, 2001 (syn. Metacyclops arnaudi G. O. Sars 1908 (**)
Meridiecyclops platypus baylyi Fiers, 2001 (syn. Metacyclops arnaudi platypus Kiefer 1967 (**)
Thermocyclops crassus (Fischer 1853)
Thermocyclops decipiens Kiefer 1929
Microcyclops javanus Kiefer 1930
Microcyclops sydneyensis (Schmeil 1896) (**)
Microcyclops varicans (G. O. Sars 1863)

Crustaceans: Harpacticoid Copepods

Cletocamptus confluens (Schmeil, 1894)
Nitokra humpreysi Karanovic & Pesce (in press) (*, **)
Phyllopodopsyllus wellsi Karanovic & Pesce, 2001 (*, **)