Euchaetidae is a family of marine copepods.[1] The family is cosmopolitan and occurs in all the oceans, including the Southern and Arctic Oceans.[2][3] Euchaetidae are medium to large-sized copepods.[4]
There are two genera with in total 114 species:[1]
Euchaeta are mostly epipelagic whereas Paraeuchaeta are mostly bathypelagic.[2] Where more than one species occurs, congeneric species (or life stages of a single species, as observed for Paraeuchaeta antarctica) may partition the water column, whereas species representing different genera that occur at similar depths differ in dietary preferences.[3]
Paraeuchaeta can be important predators of fish larvae. Their mode of predation is "drift and wait". The dominant euchaetid in the Southern Ocean is Paraeuchaeta antarctica. It is a dominant predator there, and its fatty acid profile suggests that it mostly preys upon herbivorous calanid copepods. In the Weddell Sea, it contributes as much as 11–18% to total mesozooplankton biomass.[3]
Paraeuchaeta antarctica has a one-year life-cycle around the Kerguelen Islands.[3]
Euchaetidae is a family of marine copepods. The family is cosmopolitan and occurs in all the oceans, including the Southern and Arctic Oceans. Euchaetidae are medium to large-sized copepods.
