Copepods of the Equatorial Eastern Pacific (OBIS, ESPOBIS)

The Equatorial Region of the Eastern South Pacific across Ecuador (1°N – 3°S) is characterized by the influence of tropical waters from the north and sub-tropical surface waters from the south, giving rise to the Equatorial Front during the austral winter. However during the dry season (June to August), when southerly winds become more intense, the cold Humboldt Current may also influence the area around 2°S over the coastal zone of Ecuador, while the front becomes weak and constrained to the south. The whole area is also subjected to strong inter-annual variation driven by the ENSO (El Niño Southern Oscillation) cycle. The pelagic fauna in this region is highly diverse, but little studied. Among planktonic components, the crustacean copepods dominate both coastal and oceanic areas. This growing data base is an attempt to build a unique platform to describe, identify and count this important taxonomic group of this region.