Interspecific copulation in and co-occurrence of similar-sized freshwater centropagid copepods

Abstract

Laboratory experiments were performed in which males of a given centropagid calanoid copepod species were placed with females of another species. Five interspecific pairings were tested, and in four of these, males attempted copulation or copulated with the partner of a different species. Metasome lengths of copepods in all populations used for experiments were determined: males attempted copulation with females whose average length was 0.88-1.09 times the normal size of the female for that species. These results imply that co-occurrence of similar-sized calanoids may be rare because of mating behaviour, temporal or spatial differences in mating, rather than because of competition for resources. A survey of reported co-occurrences of centropagid copepods in the genera Boeckella and Calamoecia found in Australia supports this contention.