Global diversity of copepods (Crustacea: Copepoda) in freshwater

• Published in: Hydrobiologia Vol. 595; no. 1; pp. 195 - 207
• Main Authors: Boxshall, Geoff A, Defaye, Danielle
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Dordrecht : Springer Netherlands 01-01-2008; Springer Netherlands; Springer Nature B.V; Springer
• Subjects: Aquaculture; Biodiversity; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Copepoda; Crustaceans; Ecology; Ecology, environment; Ecosystems; Endemic species; Endemism; Freshwater; Freshwater & Marine Ecology; Freshwater Animal Diversity Assessment; Life Sciences; Marine biology; Parasites; species diversity; Species richness; Studies; zoogeography; Zoology; Antarctica; Nearctic Region; Zoogeography; Copepods; Endemism; Freshwater; Species richness
• ISSN: 0018-8158; 1573-5117
• DOI: 10.1007/s10750-007-9014-4

The zoogeographic distributions of the 2,814 species of copepods reported from freshwater are analysed. Faunal diversity is compared between zoogeographic regions: the Palaearctic region has more than double the species richness of the next most diverse region, the Neotropical. Historical factors affecting levels of diversity are identified. More than 90% of all freshwater copepods are endemic to a single-zoogeographic region and endemic genera occur in all regions except Antarctica. Species that are not endemic to a single region include the highly vagile and cosmopolitan species occurring in four or more regions. The greatest faunal connectivity, as identified by Sørensen's Index, is between Palaearctic and Nearctic regions, and identifies the Holarctic taxa. Key human-related issues, such as the role of copepods as vectors for human parasites and the losses caused by parasitic copepods in commercial aquaculture, are mentioned.