Species: Tigriopus californicus


COMMON NAME
Tiger Pod

ORDER
Harpacticoida

FAMILY
Harpacticidae

TAXONOMY
Tigriopus californicus Baker, 1912, California, United States.

OTHER COMMON NAMES
Tiger Copepod, Copepod, Zooplankton, Mandarin Goby Fish Food.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Body length 0.047–0.055 in (1.2–1.4 mm). Body slender, cylindrical, with inconspicuous boundary between prosome and urosome. Female antennules short, nine-segmented; male antennules geniculate on both sides. Antenna with three-segmented exopod. Mandible with well-developed biramous palp. First swimming legs modified, biramous with both rami prehensile and armed with array of apical claws. Legs 2–4 biramous, with three-segmented rami. Fifth legs with large endopodal lobe and single free exopodal segment in both sexes; bearing five setae in male.

DISTRIBUTION
West coast of North and South America. (Specific distribution map not available.)

AVAILABLE ONLINE AT:
Precision Aquaculture Technologies, manufacturer/supplier, Online Catalog, Web Page: http//:www.precisionaquatech.com

HABITAT
Rock pools in intertidal zone on seashore. Rock pools are an extreme habitat, which can undergo wild fluctuations in salinity and temperature over course of tidal cycle.

BEHAVIOR
Life cycle comprising six naupliar stages and five copepodid stages preceding adult. All stages are bottom-living; even nauplii are adapted for creeping over surfaces, not for swimming.

FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Omnivorous surface feeders; will take variety of microorganisms, algae, and organic material contained in surface film in rock pools; will also eat tissues of various metazoans, including sponges.

REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Males exhibit pre-copulatory mate guarding, in which adult male will grasp onto juvenile (copepodid stage three onwards) females and hold them for several days, until they undergo final molt into sexually receptive adult. Males can distinguish between developmental stages of female and between closely related species by surface chemical properties. During copulation, male transfers single spermatophore onto ventral genital region of female. Spermatophore discharges into seminal receptacle where sperm stored until used. Fertilized eggs retained in single ventral egg mass until ready to hatch.

CONSERVATION STATUS
Not listed on the IUCN list.
About IUCN click here.

SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
Very hardy, surviving well in laboratory conditions, so has been used as a model animal for scientific study of genetics of marine copepods.

PHOTOGRAPHS AND VIDEO LIBRARY

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TRUSTED COPEPOD VENDOR LIST



ADDITIONAL ONLINE RESOURCES



  • Copepod food, dry powder concentrate, shipping.


  • Zooplankton, various particulate sizes, quantities, coral reef food, baby fry food, baby fish food, tropical fish food, SPS food, LPS food.