Eduardo Suárez-Morales

• Professor
• Zooplankton Project Manager at El Colegio de la Frontera Sur

A practical guide for the taxonomic identification of 25 species and subspecies of free-living cyclopoid copepods from the La Plata Basin, the second largest river basin in South America, is presented. Samples were collected at 43 sites across the main river sub-basins and selected reservoirs during the rainy and dry seasons of 2010. We also provid...

Diversity and distribution of Mexican Caribbean pelagic polychaetes.

This is the third paper in a series regarding a taxonomical survey of the monstrilloid copepods collected during the past three decades in coastal systems of Australia. The first contribution included the taxonomic analysis of three genera of the Monstrilloida, i.e., Monstrillopsis Sars, 1921, Maemonstrilla Grygier & Ohtsuka, 2008, and the monotypi...

Biodiversity patterns provide insights into the conservation value of ecosystems and also aid in an understanding of some research priorities. This research paper presents an exhaustive inventory of crustaceans and fish species from the Yucatan Peninsula’s epicontinental, underground, and anchialine aquatic systems. Using records spanning from 1936...

A Species richness is a critical measure in biodiversity studies, providing insights into the diversity and conservation value of ecosystems. This research presents an exhaustive inventory of crustaceans and fish species from the Yucatan Peninsula's epicontinental, underground, and anchialine aquatic systems. Spanning records from 1936 to 2024, the...

Based on deep-water (700-750 m) biological samples obtained from the southern Gulf of California, Pacific coast of Mexico, a new species of the monstrilloid copepod genus Monstrilla Dana, 1849 is described based on a single subadult female collected close to the bottom with an epibenthic sledge. Monstrilla hendrickxi sp. n. is distinguished by a un...

The limited temporal completeness and taxonomic accuracy of species lists, made available in a traditional manner in scientific publications, has always represented a problem. These lists are invariably limited to a few taxonomic groups and do not represent up-to-date knowledge of all species and classifications. In this context, the Brazilian mega...

A taxonomic study of deep-sea polychaetes collected at a depth of 2,805 m off the northern coast of California revealed a scaleworm of the family Sigalionidae with an attached parasitic copepod. The copepod represents an undescribed genus of the family Herpyllobiidae, comprising mesoparasitic copepods chiefly recorded from polychaetes of the family...

The prevalence of endoparasites associated with chaetognath abundance in the coastal waters of the Mexican Central Pacific was studied fortnightly from November 2010 to December 2011. A total of 35 (0.21%) out of 16,407 chaetognaths were found to be parasitized. Five out of twelve chaetognath species (Flaccisagitta enflata, F. hexaptera, Parasagitt...

Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil: se ng the baseline knowledge on the animal diversity in Brazil

The calanoid copepod family Epacteriscidae is one of the most representative cave-dwelling copepods worldwide, especially in the Caribbean region. We provide new records of two epacteriscid copepods from anchialine habitats of the Yucatan Peninsula (YP); both were previously known only from their type locality in Jamaica and Caicos Islands. We docu...

A new record of the widespread monstrilloid copepod Caromiobenella helgolandica is documented for Rusia , based on an adult ovigerous female.

ABSTR ACT Calanoid copepods (CC) are key contributors to the biological carbon pump and pelagic trophic dynamics. The deep-water regions of Perdido and the Bay of Campeche in the western and southern Gulf of Mexico (GM), respectively, differ in hydrography and productivity, leading to potential differences in copepod biomass and community structure...

Several adult female monstrilloid copepods, collected in March 2022 from the protected reef area of Xcalak, on the southern part of the Mexican Caribbean coast, proved to belong to two undescribed species of Monstrilla Dana, 1849. They are described here as M. xcalakensis sp. nov. and M. annulata sp. nov., partly by use of scanning electron microsc...

The monstrilloid copepod Monstrilla leucopis is reported for the first time in Mexican waters of the Pacific Ocean

Overview of the aquatic invertebrate fauna of the Yucatan Peninsula

First findings of the zooplankton community from a Mexican Caribbean embayment

Report of Diaptomus dorsalis from the Yucatan Peninsula.

Analysis of the copepod community off the coastal zone of the Mexican Pacific.

RESUMEN El estudio zoogeográfico y taxonómico de los copépodos planctónicos ha sido histórica y actualmente, punto de contradicciones y opiniones encontradas. Los dinámicos procesos de especiación, de aislamiento reproductivo y de divergencia genética en el entorno pelágico, han generado una problemática muy sui generis en el desarrollo de la taxon...

First comments on the copepod community from a Mexican Caribbean upwelling area.

Illustrated record of Euaugaptilus filigerus from Mexico

Report on an anomalous occurrence of Arietellus giesbrechti at upper layers of the Mexican Caribbean

Analysis of rotifer population in an eutrophic dam.

A new species of Medusozoa from Mexico

Diversity of polychaetes on mangrove roots in a protected area of the Mexican Caribbean coast

Taxonomic key to a family of free-living Copepoda of the Northwestern Tropical Caribbean.

Records of cladocerans in the Yucatan Peninsula

Overview of copepods with a divulgation profile

The only data on abundance and population density of M. hebes were obtained at Cabo Pul mo. They were estimated in a series of 18 belt transects (each 100 m long and 1 m wide), run in a stratified sampling designo The species was 1.6% of the total gorgonian abundance and its average population density was 0.03 ind/m 2. The colonies were seen only a...

Itiodivershy in marine zooplankton: are tve ignoring something? Abstract. The sludy ofmarine biodiversity can be analyzeeiwithin cUfferent conceptualfranieworks: however, ii reinains clear ¡hal, wben ils weallli on superior taxonomic levels is laken inlo accouni, the efforis devoted ta increase our knowledge ofmarine biodiversity are insufpcienl. S...

Revision of the historical trends linked to the study of marine zooplankton in Mexico.

Overview of the zooplankton composition in a reef area of the Mexican Caribbean Sea

Overviewe of the cladoceran populations in a Mexican Dam with high nutrient input

Overview of the plankton composition and distribution of a tropical lagoon in southeast Mexico

compiles investigations on different subjects related to a protected Caribbean atoll system in Mexico. It was published as a Special Volume 73(1) of the Bulletin of Marine Science.

Includes selected papers presented during the 11th Conference on Copepoda, in Mexico.

Copépodos de Quintana Roo

Revision of literature on pelagic copepods of the Gulf of Mexico

revision of the state of knowledge of the free-living freshwater copepods of Mexico

Revision of state of knowledge of freshwater cladocerans in Mexico

Description of a new species of the copepod genus Hesperodiaptomus

characterization of the copepod community related to an upwelling off the Yucatan Peninsula

Revision of trends in copepod conservation in different habitats, worldwide

Catalogue of the freshwater copepods of the free-living freshwater copepods of the Mexican state of Jalisco

Mexican cladocerans diversity and distribution.

Background A new species of a Neotropical diaptomid copepod is described based on individuals recovered from a small, almost forgotten collection of unique plankton samples from El Junco, a crater lake in San Cristóbal island, Galápagos archipelago. This copepod was regularly reported (1966–2004) as an abundant zooplankter in the lake, but it was n...

A new species of the genus Acanthocyclops is described from temporal freshwater bodies in the Sian Ka’an and Calakmul Biosphere Reserves in Southeast Mexico. Acanthocyclops fiersi n. sp. represents the third species of the genus described from the Neotropics, only after A. rebecae and A. smithae. Acanthocyclops fiersi n. sp., is recognized as a mem...

The Southern Caribbean (SCA) represents the most productive ecoregion of the Tropical Northwestern Atlantic (TNWA) province. In order to assess the diversity of pelagic copepods in the ecoregion, we present an inventory based on unpublished data obtained from several oceanographic cruises made in oceanic and neritic waters of Venezuela (1967-1968)....

In this review, we include rotifers, copepods, and cladocerans, including other groups not usually deemed as zooplankters: i.e., protists, acari, and large branchiopods. The objectives of this study were to integrate the dispersed literature on the taxonomy and diversity of these freshwater zooplankton groups and to explain (1) how these contributi...

The ergasilid Neoergasilus japonicus (Harada, 1930) is a parasite originary from East Asia, with a high prevalence in freshwater teleosteans and is considered invasive in other regions. In the Neotropic, this species has been recorded in Mexico (in the Aguascalientes, Chiapas, and Jalisco states), Cuba and Peru. In this work, we document the infect...

Biological samples obtained from a coastal system of northern Colombia yielded male and female specimens of an undescribed harpacticoid copepod of the diverse ameirid genus Nitokra Boeck, 1865. The new species is a member of the genus group III. We describe the new species based on adult male and female individuals. Nitokra puebloviejensis sp. nov....

The taxonomic study of monstrilloid copepods is hampered by incomplete early descriptions, uncertain synonymies, and the difficulty of reliably matching males and females of species. A re-evaluation of male monstrilloid specimens collected from two reef areas of the Mexican Caribbean allowed me to clarify the status of Monstrilla mariaeugeniae Suár...

The seasonal variability of the Yucatan upwelling is known to exert a definite influence on environmental and biological conditions over the Yucatan Shelf. The present study is the first to analyze the variability of surface mesoplanktonic copepods in coastal waters off northeastern Yucatan Peninsula. Copepod samples and environmental parameters we...

I present new perspectives and advances on the knowledge of free-living copepods in large tropical river basins. Currently, the greatest copepod diversity is known from the Palearctic region, with a surface about twice or thrice that of the Neotropical and Afrotropical areas, respectively. Interestingly, biological diversity estimators suggest a mu...

The Congo River Basin is the second largest in the world, and its plankton biota remains completely unknown. We studied the zooplankton diversity across 1700 km of the main channel (from the cities of Kisangani to Kinshasa) and subsequently in the mouths of the 25 largest tributaries during 2013 (N=39), and across 500 km of Kasai-Kwa River and trib...

The free-living copepods of the Congo River Basin in Africa, the second largest in the world just after the Amazonas River Basin, are still insufficiently known because of problematic accessibility and complex logistics related to sampling. We analyzed samples from 82 sites obtained during expeditions in 2010 and 2013. The Congo River main channel...

Three species of harpacticoids are herein recorded from the zooplankton of Rodadero beach, Santa Marta, Magdalena, Colombia. Samples were collected from the littoral zone, mainly at inshore areas covered by mangrove vegetation and in an adjacent oyster bank. One of them, Laophonte cornuta Philippi, 1840 is new to the Colombian harpacticoid fauna, t...

The cyclopoid copepod family Herpyllobiidae includes highly transformed mesoparasitic copepods infecting benthic polychaetes. Herpyllobius Steenstrup and Lütken, 1861 is the most diverse genus of the family and currently contains 20 species. The egg-carrying ectosoma of these copepods can be more or less easily detected on the host external surface...

During a survey of the zooplankton community of a protected coastal system on the Caribbean coast of Mexico, several adult females and immature individuals of the usually benthic or epiphytic harpacticoid copepod genus Peltidium , were recovered; they were identified as the Bahamian species P. perturbatum Geddes, 1968. This species has not been rec...

Members of the parasitic copepod family Pennellidae are highly transformed ecto- or mesoparasites infecting a wide array of marine teleosts. Currently, this family contains more than 20 valid genera. The pennellid genus Cardiodectes Wilson, 1917 is currently known to contain 15 nominal species. Some pennellids exhibit a complex life cycle involving...

The common dolphinfish, Coryphaena hippurus, is an important and widespread fishing resource in tropical and subtropical latitudes. It harbors a diverse array of parasitic copepods, but data on their infection indices are quite limited worldwide. We analyzed its parasitic copepod community and infection indices based on the examination of 615 indiv...

Caromiobenella helgolandica (Claus, 1863), a presumedly widespread monstrilloid copepod, is reported for the first time from Saudi waters of the Arabian Gulf; only females were found in zooplankton samples collected from Tarut Bay in the Arabian Gulf. Caromiobenella Jeon, Lee, & Soh, 2018 is a recently described genus that is distinguished by havin...

Caromiobenella helgolandica (Claus, 1863), a presumedly widespread monstrilloid copepod, is reported for the first time from Saudi waters of the Arabian Gulf; only females were found in zooplankton samples collected from Tarut Bay in the Arabian Gulf. Caromiobenella Jeon, Lee, & Soh, 2018 is a recently described genus that is distinguished by havin...

El copépodo planctónico de agua dulce Notodiaptomus maracaibensis Kiefer, 1954 fue encontrado en un pequeño estanque temporal al norte de La Guajira, Colombia. Hasta ahora, se había registrado solamente en Venezuela y Colombia. Este es el primer registro ilustrado y documentado que confirma su presencia en Colombia y en el departamento de La Guajir...

Monstrilloid copepods are protelean parasites of various groups of benthic invertebrates. The taxonomy of some monstrilloid genera is still in development. The re-examination of museum collections and redescription of the earliest described species have proven to be useful tools to unravel some of these problems. An examination of monstrilloid spec...

A new species of the harpacticoid copepod genus Esola is described from specimens collected in Rodadero Beach, on Gaira Bay, on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. The species, E. wellsi sp. nov. , is described, illustrated, and com­pared with its congeners. Esola wellsi sp. nov. differs from its known congeners in details of the armature of legs 1–4....

A new species of the diverse and widely distributed symbiotic copepod genus Asterocheres is described from the sea star Nidorellia armata (Gray, 1840) in Mexican waters of the Eastern Tropical Pacific. The new species resembles various other congeners by sharing several characters including: (1) a siphon extending to the intersection of the maxilli...

In order to complete the information related to the little studied deep-sea planktonic fauna of western Mexico, samples from a wide depth range (surface to 1550 m depth) were obtained using different gear. Six species and 108 individuals of hyperiid amphipods of the family Amphithyridae were collected at 26 localities, including a new species of Am...

This paper presents a study of freshwater zooplankton biodiversity, deemed as a reliable indicator of water quality. The Guatemalan Lake Amatitlán, currently used as a water source, has shown signs of progressive eutrophication, with perceptible variations of the local zooplankton diversity. Biotic and abiotic parameters were determined at four sit...

Los copépodos son uno de los grupos más relevantes de la comunidad del zooplancton en todos los ambientes acuáticos. El conocimiento de su diversidad real es un proceso altamente dinámico en el que se están afinando progresivamente los criterios taxonómicos,incluyendo la morfología de microcaracteres y recientemente, las herramientas moleculares. D...

The community structure and variability of the hyperiid amphipods of the Northwestern Tropical Atlantic (NWTA) remain largely unknown. We described and analyzed the hyperiid nictemeral, vertical, and horizontal distribution and the influence of environmental variables in the upper 100 m of the northwestern Caribbean Sea. We examined 196 zooplankton...

The diversity of freshwater zooplankton is still little known in Mexico, particularly in reference to insular zooplankton communities. Diaptomid copepods (Crustacea: Copepoda: Calanoida) are a widespread group worldwide, and Mexico harbours high diaptomid diversity. Based on a recent sampling of freshwater zooplankton on a Caribbean Island of Mexic...

Monstrilloid copepods are protelean parasites with a complex life cycle that includes an endoparasitic juvenile phase and free-living early naupliar and adult phases. The monstrilloid copepod genus Caromiobenella Jeon, Lee and Soh, 2018 is known to contain nine species, each one with a limited distribution; except for two species, members of this w...

The Neotropical free-living freshwater cyclopoid copepod Mesocyclops paranaensis Dussart & Frutos, 1986 was found in a small temporal pond in La Guajira, northern Colombia. Hitherto, it has been reported from Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil. This is the first record of this species in Colombia, its northernmost finding in South America, and the fou...

Monstrilloids are copepods that live freely in plankton without feeding but have parasitic immature stages that develop within infected benthic molluscs and polychaetes. Because of their incompletely known life cycles and the difficulty of matching conspecific males and females, it has been difficult to assess their true diversity anywhere on earth...

In this work, we provide new data on the parasitic isopods infecting euphausiid species in the western Caribbean Sea, Northwestern Tropical Atlantic (NWTA). Our study was based on the examination of a total of 211 zooplankton samples obtained in 1999, 2010 and 2011 from the western Caribbean Sea (i.e. the eastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, off...

The cyclopoid copepod family Bradophilidae includes a few species of mesoparasitic copepods infecting flabelligerid polychaetes. It contains two species of Bradophila Levinsen, 1878, the type genus: B. pygmaea Levinsen, 1878 and B. minuta Boxshall, O’Reilly, Sikorski & Summerfield, 2019, both known from North Europe. Two other genera (i.e., Trophon...

Monstrilloid copepods are protelean parasites of marine benthic invertebrates; their juvenile stages are entirely endoparasitic and emerge from the host as free-living reproductive adult individuals that become part of the plankton. Linking both sexes of a monstrillid species is difficult because individuals of both sexes and members of different s...

On the taxonomic status of some South American Eucyclops (Copepoda: Cyclopoida: Eucyclopinae) Among eucyclopinids freshwater copepods, the genus Eucyclops contains several species or species groups whose taxonomic status has not been properly determined and is in need of revision or redescription. Traditionally used meristic characters have recentl...

Cymbasoma belizense sp. n. is described from an adult female collected during a zooplankton survey of the Corozal Bay Wildlife Sanctuary (CBWS), adjacent to Chetumal Bay, a large binational embayment on the northwestern Caribbean Basin. The new species is a member of the Cymbasoma longispinosum species-group; it resembles C. chelemense Suárez-Moral...

The siphonostomatoid copepod Caligus undulatus Shen & Li, 1959 has been widely reported from plankton samples obtained from neritic and oceanic waters off coasts of the Indo-West Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Until now, its fish host has remained unknown. This copepod belongs to an intriguing group of congeners that, despite being part of a chiefly...

Recently, Suárez-Morales & Üstün (2018) described two new species of monstrilloid copepods, Cymbasoma turcorum and Monstrillopsis pontoeuxinensis from Turkish coastal waters of the Black Sea. The morphological descriptions, illustrations, and type designations presented in that paper fully characterized both new species; however, the journal issue...

The oceanographic conditions of the Pacific Ocean are largely modified by El Niño (EN), affecting several ecological processes. Parasites and other marine organisms respond to environmental variation, but the influence of the EN cycle on the seasonal variation of parasitic copepods has not been yet evaluated. We analysed the relation between infect...

The oceanographic conditions of the Pacific Ocean are largely modified by El Niño (EN), affecting several ecological processes. Parasites and other marine organisms respond to environmental variation, but the influence of the EN cycle on the seasonal variation of parasitic copepods has not been yet evaluated. We analysed the relation between infect...

Plankton samples obtained from the Ciénaga Grande de Santa Marta, an extensive estuarine system in northern Colombia, yielded adult male and female specimens of an undescribed halicyclopine cyclopid copepod of the genus Halicyclops. Cyclopid copepods are frequently found in freshwater and transitional habitats. Members of the subfamily Halicyclopin...

The seasonal variability of stable isotope values (δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C), ∆¹⁵N values, and niche width of calanoid copepod species, three zooplankton size fractions and seston were assessed from samples obtained monthly between January and December 2012 at a coastal sampling site in the Eastern Tropical Pacific off Mexico (19°09′03″ N, 104°44′50″ W). Twen...

This work presents the taxonomy, morphology and distribution of the free-living, freshwater copepods that inhabit ephemeral aquatic habitats in one binational reserve known as the Chihuahuan Desert. This work represents the largest effort to study this group in desert-related aquatic habitats to date. The copepod fauna of freshwater systems in the...