A note on the similarity in the distribution of Sapphirina (Copepoda, Crustacea) and Salpa (Thaliacea, Tunicata) in the north-western Indian Ocean

Abstract

Species of the copepod genus Sapphirina are frequently associated with Salps, the pelagic tunicates (Lehnhofer, 1929; Dakin and Colefax, 1940; Sewell, 1948). They are found as endocommensals in Salpa democratica, S. fusiformis, S. maxima, S. pinnata, S. cylindrica, S. confoederata, S. zonaria and other tunicates like Pyrosoma (Lehnhofer, 1929). The females and young stages of Sapphirina are found more frequently inside the Salps than the males (Dakin and Colefax, 1940)