Australian Institute of Marine Science – Summer planktonic communities of North West Cape, Western Australia

The community composition of pelagic copepods near Australia's North West Cape was studied during the austral summers of 1997/1998 and 1998/1999 from sampling from a set of 8 stations along a 36km cross-shelf transect.

Over 120 species of copepods were identified: 60 species of calanoid copepods and 5 harpacticoid copepods.

Familes (number of species) were: Aetideidae (1), Arcartiidae (5), Augaptilidae (2), Calanidae (5), Candaciidae (5), Centropagidae (2), Clausocalanidae (7), Clytemnestridae (1), Coryacaeidae (22), Ectinosomatidae (1), Eucalidae (5), Euchaetidae (2), Euterpinidae (1), Lubbokcidae (1), Lucicutiidae (2), Mecynoceridae (1), Metridinidae (2), Miraciidae (1), Oithonidae (11), Oncaeidae (19), Paracalanidae (15), Pontellidae (5), Pseudodiaptomidae (3), Rhincalanidae (1), Sapphirinidae (2), Scolecitrichidae (2), Temoridae (2), Tisbidae (1), Tortanidae (1).

Data includes information about years, stations (4 off-shore, and 4 inshore, along a cross-shelf transect), the seasons spring (October and November) and summer (December to February)
Additional information (not presented here) - Measurements of zooplankton communities (abundances and biomass). Environmental variables were temperature, salinity, density, chlorophyll a and >73µm plankton biomass

Total Distribution Records : 1362

Total Number of Taxa : 106 species, 47 genera