Copepod Diversity of Tembhapury Lake Aurangabad Region, M.S, India

Among the planktonic microcrustaceans, Cyclopoida and Calanoida copepods constitute the largest biomass of this community and are 60 % and 40 % of the total copepod respectively. Copepod species mostly had a positive association among themselves indicating overlapping ecological niche to some extent. The aim of this work is to catalogue and analyse the distribution of copepod species (Crustacea, Maxillopoda) from the Tembhapury reservoir. Analysis was also done to understand of the copepod community structure and their population dynamics, so that the ecological differences existing between sympatric copepod species could be understood. Cyclopoid density varied from month to month while Calanoid showed bimodal fluctuation pattern with peaks in summer and winter. Five species of copepods are recorded. Where in three species Heliodiaptomus viduus, Heliodiaptomus contortus and phyllodiaptomus blanci are from Calanoid copepods and two species Mesocyclop leukarti and Mesocyclop hyalinus are from Cyclopoid copepods.