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Copepods

Order Monstrilloida

Some of the most advanced species of parasitic copepods are found in this order. These copepods are worm parasites. Their nauplii appear quite typical, but have no stomach. When they find a suitable host, they shed their outer skeleton and all of their appendages and become a mass of cells. In this simple structure, they are able to reach the worms' body cavity. Once inside their host, these creatures form a thin outer skeleton; the cope-pods spend most of their lives without a mouth, intestines, or an anus. When they mature, they look like free-living copepods.

Resources

Books

George, David, and Jennifer George. Marine Life: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Invertebrates in the Sea. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1979.

Grzimek, H.C. Bernard, Dr., ed. Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1993.

The New Larousse Encyclopedia of Animal Life. New York: Bonanza Books, 1987.

Pearl, Mary Corliss, Ph.D. Consultant. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Wildlife. London: Grey Castle Press, 1991.

Schmitt, Waldo L. Crustaceans. Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 1965.

Street, Philip. The Crab and Its Relatives. London: Faber and Faber Limited, 1966.

Trefil, James. Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. The Reference Works, Inc., 2001.

Kathryn Snavely

KEY TERMS

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Caudal furca: —An appendage on the free-living copepod, resembling a tail, that is attached to its abdomen.
Free-living copepod: —The copepods that does not attach itself to a living host but, instead, feeds on algae or small forms of animal life.
Nauplia: —Larva of either free-living or parasitic copepods; both kinds of larvae are similar in appearance.
Planktonic: —Free-floating; not using limbs for locomotion.
Thorax: —The area just below the head and neck; the chest.

Additional topics

Science EncyclopediaScience & Philosophy: Condensation to CoshCopepods - Characteristics Of Free-living Copepods, The Parasites, Place In The Food Chain, Order Calanoida