Epischura massachusettsensis
Encyclopedia
Epischura massachusettsensis is a species of copepod
in the family Temoridae
, endemic to Massachusetts
. It is listed as Data Deficient
on the IUCN Red List
. Adult males are around 3 mm (0.118110236220472 in) long.
by Arthur Sperry Pearse in 1906 in a work on the Fresh-Water Copepoda of Massachusetts published in The American Naturalist. This description was based on nine female specimens collected near Wellesley, Massachusetts
in April 1905, and the brevity of the description, and the paucity of the material raised some doubts about the species' validity. Subsequent collections were able to demonstrate that the species was indeed valid.
Copepod
Copepods are a group of small crustaceans found in the sea and nearly every freshwater habitat. Some species are planktonic , some are benthic , and some continental species may live in limno-terrestrial habitats and other wet terrestrial places, such as swamps, under leaf fall in wet forests,...
in the family Temoridae
Temoridae
Temoridae is a family of copepods, containing the following genera:*Epischura S. A. Forbes, 1882*Eurytemora Giesbrecht, 1881*Ganchosia Oliveira, 1946*Heterocope G. O. Sars, 1863*Lahmeyeria Oliveira, 1946*Temora Baird, 1850...
, endemic to Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. It is listed as Data Deficient
Data Deficient
Data Deficient is a category applied by the IUCN, other agencies, and individuals to a species when the available information is not sufficient for a proper assessment of conservation status to be made...
on the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
. Adult males are around 3 mm (0.118110236220472 in) long.
Taxonomic history
E. massachusettsensis was first describedAlpha taxonomy
Alpha taxonomy is the discipline concerned with finding, describing and naming species of living or fossil organisms. This field is supported by institutions holding collections of these organisms, with relevant data, carefully curated: such institutes include natural history museums, herbaria and...
by Arthur Sperry Pearse in 1906 in a work on the Fresh-Water Copepoda of Massachusetts published in The American Naturalist. This description was based on nine female specimens collected near Wellesley, Massachusetts
Wellesley, Massachusetts
Wellesley is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of Greater Boston. The population was 27,982 at the time of the 2010 census.It is best known as the home of Wellesley College and Babson College...
in April 1905, and the brevity of the description, and the paucity of the material raised some doubts about the species' validity. Subsequent collections were able to demonstrate that the species was indeed valid.