Key to the identification of Cyclopoida (Crustacea, Copepoda) of North America (north of Mexico)

This key provides an overview of Cyclopoida species known from North America, north of Mexico. The species description is limited to the few key characters, which allow for proper species identification. Keys are arranged into plates with easy-to-use pictorial guide. Each key provides all relevant characters (the written description and drawings) important for family, genus, and species identification, which include distinction from similar group or species. The species ecology chapter has all species to be organized in the alphabetical order, which is very practical and allows for faster search for desired information. Described also are recent changes (up to the December of 2023) in the taxonomy status of species and higher taxonomy levels up to the Cyclopoida order and fixed are several errors in the previously published keys, where one of them were repeated for around 100 years. This should be the most recent update of the taxonomy status of all Cyclopoida species known from North America, north of Mexico, with the modern approach in which the cosmopolitanism paradigm is replaced by the ideas of twin species or superspecies which unite closely related but isolated populations of morphologically similar forms. Progress on frontier research and applied environmental protection heavily depends on correct species identification. An unclear taxonomic status of any Copepoda species, the absence of reliable characters to discriminate specimens of the similar taxa, the lack of inclusion of many newest and valid species in the published papers, as well as the use of very old keys listing species that are no longer valid result in biased data interpretation in ecological publications. Therefore, this key should be of great help to overcome the above obstacles. The key presents 115 species reported from North America, 115 species distribution maps, 740 b/w illustration, all based on 770 primary reference papers. Read more