Image Key > Copepoda > Calanoida > Pontellidae > Labidocera cervi

• Male: 2.75-3.15 mm.
• Female: 2.80-3.48 mm.

• Large and bright blue.
• Unusually for this group, it has a pair of lenses in the prosome in addition to the single naupliar eye (Farran 1929, Bradford-Grieve 1999) (visible in images 8 & 9).

• Antenna is prehensile and used to hold the female during copulation.
• 5th leg is distinguishable as a large claw-like appendage (image 10 & 11).

• Metasome with assymetrical corners; the larger is on the right side.
• Urosome is 2-segmented.
• Postlateral knob on the right side of the genital segment.
• 5th leg is biramous (image 5).
• Exopod has 3 terminal spines and 2 outer edge spines.

• South-eastern Australian waters (Dakin and Colefax 1933, 1940, Dall 1958, Greenwood 1979). South-eastern Tasmania (Ong, 1970; Nyan Taw, 1978). Northern New Zealand (Kramer 1894, Farran 1929, Jillett 1971), off Kaikoura, New Zealand (Bradford 1972).

• Not much is known about this species, but recent sampling in Tasmania suggests that it occupies surface layers of inshore and coastal waters during the day where its bright blue pigment protects it from surface-hunting predators (Cazassus 2004).
• Thought to be carnivorous, probably feeding on other copepods, cladocerans and similar sized animals.
• Believed to broadcast its fertilised eggs after copulation and these may remain in a resting state until conditions of temperature and food availability are suitable for larval development.
• Marcus (1979) has described a resting egg stage in the life cycle of the related species, Labidocera aestiva. (Please note at present there is no fact sheet for Labidocera aestiva).

• Can be distinguished from another species of this genus present in south-east Australian waters, Labidocera tasmanica, by the following characteristics (Nyan Taw 1974).

Female Labidocera tasmanica:

• the posterior metasomal corners project as sharp points and are symmetrical in dorsal view.
• the urosome is asymmetrical, swollen ventrally, more than twice as long as wide, with 1 spine situated on each side of the anterior part of the genital segment.
• leg 5 has only 3 small terminal spines on the exopod.

Male Labidocera tasmanica:

• the left side of leg 5 has 3 long spines; the right leg differs from Labidocera cervi in the shape of the last (3rd) segment. Please note at present there is no fact sheet for Labidocera tasmanica.