Copepods are assigned to the class Copepoda within the superclass Multicrustacea in the subphylum Crustacea. An … See more

Copepods vary considerably, but are typically 1 to 2 mm (1⁄32 to 3⁄32 in) long, with a teardrop-shaped body and large antennae. Like other crustaceans, they have an armoured exoskeleton, but they are so small th… See more

Planktonic copepods are important to global ecology and the carbon cycle. They are usually the dominant members of the zooplankton, and are major food organisms for small fish such as the dragonet, banded killifish… See more

Despite their modern abundance, due to their small size and fragility, copepods are extremely rare in the fossil record. The oldest known fossils of copepods are from the late Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) of Oman, … See more

Live copepods are used in the saltwater aquarium hobby as a food source and are generally considered beneficial in most reef tanks. They are scavengers and also may feed on algae, including coralline algae. Live copep… See more

• Crustaceans portal
• Hunting copepods
• Particle (ecology)
• World Association of Copepodologists See more

• Copepod fact sheet – Guide to the marine zooplankton of south eastern Australia
• Diversity and geographical distribution of pelagic copepoda
• Copepod World… See more