black sea red data book - Department of Biology

Synonyms: None.
Common names: None.
Anomalocera patersoni (Templeton, 1837)
Order CALANOIDA
Family PONTELLIDAE
Taxonomic description. One of three species of Pontellidae in the Black Sea. The
head is somewhat triangular with a recurved spine or cephalic hook on each side. It
bears two pairs of dorsal ocular lenses. There is a ventral eye and five thoracic
segments, the last of which is asymmetrical in the male. The antennule is about half
the length of the body and has twenty segments. It is of very uneven thickness in the
male. This large copepod is of a blue or blue-green colour. The length of females is
3.5-4.2 mm, that of the males 3-4 mm.
IUCN Status
World level:
Black Sea Regional level: EN
Subregion level: EN
Distribution. All over the Black Sea, except in low salinity zones such as the Sea of
Azov. In the Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic Ocean, English Channel, North Sea, and
Pacific Ocean.
Habitat type, Critical habitats, Limiting factors. A neustonic species inhabiting
the surface microlayer (0-5 cm). Winter (dormant) eggs are sink to the bottom.
Limiting factors are the pollution of the water surface by surfactants and the lack of
oxygen in the near-bottom layer.
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