RUSALTY Blog

Copepod Life Cycle

Copepod Life Cycle

Life CycleThe Copepoda are the largest class of crustaceans forming an important link between phytoplankton and higher trophic levels in most aquatic ecosystems. Most adult copepods have a length between 1 and 5 mm. The body of most copepods is cylindriconical in shape, with a wider anterior part. The trunk consists of two distinct parts, the cephalothorax (the head being fused with the…