Sur la biologie et l'écologie des copépodes cyclopides hypogés (Crustacés)Lescher-Moutoué F. 1973 1
Ann. Spéléol., 28 (3): 429-502
The first part of this paper consists of a short recall of the systematic position of the hypogean Cyclopidae and of a study of the two genera of troglobites Speocyclops and Graeteriella.
Forty-one species and subspecies may be found in the groundwater of Southern France of which twenty-five are pure troglobites. In this only region, 113 new stations of Speocyclops and 24 of Graeteriella are reported. The second part concerns the reproduction biology of hypogean Cyclopidae which differs in several points from the one of epigean forms.
The hypogean cyclopidae form no egg saks, at least the species Acanthocyclops stammeri westphalicus and the genera Speocyclops and Graeteriella; the eggs fall down to the substrate shortly after their formation. The total of the eggs produced by one female is very low.
During the postembryonical development the number of stages of the subterranean forms is the same as the one of those living on surface. On the other hand the embryonical and postembryonical developments are very much longer than those of surface forms. The development of the eggs is considerably slowed down by the cold. The temperature limits the extension of Speocyclops gallicus populations elsewhere than in the underground by its lethal action on the first naupliar stage of this species.
The Speocyclops and Graeteriella reproduce during the whole year but peak reproduction activity times are autumn and spring.
The third part of this study gives the ecological data of the different subterranean habitats in which hypogean Cyclopidae may live. Two original biotopes, nearly entirely ignored up to this day, have been examined thoroughly: the groundwater which is situated in the disaggregation cortex and the
the total of these results allows a better knowledge of a group which is widely present in groundwater and of which only a taxonomic study exists.
1. Ecole Normale Superieure - Laboratoire de Zoologie
46 Rue d'Ulm 75230 Paris Cedex - 05 France
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