Back to 118a - Back to content

DIAPTOMIDAE, G. O. SARS 1903 (family)

        Inner branch of first leg with 2 segments, inner
branch of second, third and fourth leg with 3 segments.
Caudal branches less than two times longer than wide.
Feeds by selective filtration of algae, detritus and
bacteria. They are able to separate organic particles of detritus, single cells of algae and bacteria from mineral components of seston (Alekseev, 2002a). This is why they are able to live in very turbulent river waters where most Cladocera are suppressed, or dominate the zooplankton biomass, as in Laguna de Bay, a big shallow, and therefore turbid lake. Their ability to escape predations by fish larvae sustains their dominance in plankton of tropical lakes. They show vertical diurnal migration (Carlos 1982, Lewis 1979).
(Figure: Nauplii)

  

Calanoid copepod, Taal Lake (Photo: Rey Donne S. Papa, 2007)

 

FILIPINODIAPTOMUS, LAI, MAMARIL and FERNANDO 1979
(syn. Diaptomus)

 Left outer branch of male fifth leg without circular saw-like lobe. Hyaline process of the 3rd last segment of the right first antenna of male short and serrated. Basis of male fifth leg with 3 sigmoid protru­sions. Outer distal corner being of the exopodite of the 5th right male leg without processes (see NOTE). Front part of female abdomen with peg­-like spines on genital segment.

 

 

119 a. Last segment of right fifth leg of male with short and broad spine besides the terminal hook. Size of female 1400 μm. Endemic in Bulacan-Rizal-Laguna area. Mamaril (1978a) reported it as far north as Nueva Ecija and Tarlac. Recently Aquino et al. (2008b) found it together with Tropodiaptomus australis in Paoay Lake. Found in lakes, reservoirs, and rice fields. Endemic.
 (Figures 119a1, 119a2, 119a3, 119a4, 119a5, 
119a6, 119a7, 119a8,)
- Laguna de Bay (Nauplii, overview, copepodit,
  female, egg, male, 5th leg), La Mesa Dam, Paoay Lake.
   Filipinodiaptomus insulanus, (WRIGHT, 1928)
   (syn. Diaptomus sensibilis)
             [1928a+b, 1930a, 1933a, 1937b (with map).

                     1941a, 1978a+b,

                     1979a, 1980, 1984a, 1986a, 2002a, 2008b]


 

F. insulanus nauplii
from Laguna de Bay

 

F. insulanus C1 from Laguna de Bay

 

F. insulanus Adult from Laguna de Bay

 

F. insulanus Female from Laguna de Bay


119 b. Last segment of right 5th leg of male with long and sharply pointed spine besides the terminal hook. Brehm (1933) has described this species from Danao Lake, Leyte, while Lai et al. (1979) looked for it, in vain, in Lanao Lake, Mindoro. Brehm (1933d) writes (translated): "Im Plankton von Danao Leyte (Nr. 142 der Kollektion) fand sich eine mit dem neulich aus der Laguna di Bay gemeldeten Diaptomus insulanus verwandte Form". "Verwandte" (Ger.) translates to "related" (Eng.). Since its morphology is similar to Filipinodiaptomus insulanus, he only added a single drawing to his description of this new species of the males 5th leg, showing the long spine. However F. vexillifer has not yet been established as a valid name for Diaptomus vexillifer, BREHM 1933, and the existence of the species has not been confirmed (Augustus C. Mamaril, personal communication).

       - Danao Lake, Leyte. Endemic.
   Filipinodiaptomus vexillifer, (BREHM, 1933)
   (syn. Diaptomus vexillifer)

                          [1933, 1941]
 

NOTE:  ARCTODIAPTOMUS KIEFER, 1932
Differ from Filipinodiaptomus by the outer distal corner being produced sharply of the exopodite of the 5th right male leg (large wings). Nearctic genus.
Status unknown from the sparse information of the references. Might be a record of introduction of this Neotropic species (e.g. Mexico in costal lagoons, karstic sinkholes (cenotes)). However the species can be misdetermined from F. insulanus, as might be the case in Laguna de Bay (Santos-Borja, 2003).
- Laguna de Bay (Non Arctodiaptomus dorsalis
  = Filipinodiaptomus insulanus?).
  Arctodiaptomus dorsalis, (Marsh, 1907)
             [2001d, Santos-Borja(2003c)(Arctodiaptomus sp.)]

 

 

 

MONGOLODIAPTOMUS, KIEFER 1932

Left outer branch of male fifth leg without circular
saw-like lobe. Hyaline process of the 3rd last segment
of right first antenna of the male membranous without
serration. None sigmoid protrusions on basis of male
right leg. No peg-like processes on the female abdomen.

 

120 a. Only one species in the Philippines, 
which seems to be closely related to 
Monglodiaptomus formosanus, KIEFER 1937. 
 Planktonic in lakes and ponds. Distribution
restricted. Rare.
- Ilocos Norte, Baguio City.
   Mongolodiaptomus birulai, (RYLOV, 1924)
   (syn. Diaptomus birulai, 
    syn. Eudiaptomus birulai)
             [1978a,b, 1979a, 1986]

 

  

 

 

To 121a