Crustacean cyclops: structure, nutrition, coloring, reproduction, breeding, significance for man, interesting facts, representatives, photo

Cyclops belong to the family of copepods. Entering the crustacean class, the Cyclops has a unique body structure that significantly distinguishes it from other representatives. Surprisingly, despite their small size, these crayfish not only serve as food to most fish, but can also eat fish themselves, until it has grown.

Description

In fact, Cyclops refers to the crustaceans, planktonic individuals, which can be found in almost every freshwater reservoir. They are the main source of food for most fish and fry.

At the same time, they themselves eat a lot of various microorganisms, so that water is constantly maintained in a clean state. In addition, thanks to the food activity of cyclops, it receives a significant share of clarification and improvement of its natural qualities.

Basic data

Usually all copepods due to external similarity are called cyclops, but this is an incorrect statement, because the appearance of each crustacean of the Cyclops is unique in its own way. The largest individuals, with rare exceptions, do not exceed 4.5 mm. On average, the size of the standard representative is from 0.5 to 2 mm. All cyclops can be divided into males and females by pronounced sexual characteristics. Cyclops are crustaceans, the color of which depends on the food they use, with which they adopt a part of the coloring pigment, but more often they are:

• Gray.
• Red.
• Green.

Despite their size, most cyclops lead a predatory life. In this case, for hunting, they often use the reception of an unexpected, rapid jump to an unsuspecting victim. At a time when hunting is impossible for some reason, they eat various algae.

Appearance of Cyclops

Crustacean cyclops are characterized by year-round habitat in reservoirs. As a result, they have a significant impact on human life, not only increasing the population of fish, but also infecting people through it with a variety of parasitic worms. In fact, daphnia, like the cyclops, are crustaceans, the structure of which differs significantly from most other individuals that come with them in one class, and which have a unique body structure, but the head shape of the Cyclops is more complex. On it there is:

• One eye - it was he who served as the main reason for the fact that the copepods got its second name - the Cyclops.
• Two pairs of antennas.
• Oral apparatus.
• Several legs of the jaws.

In this case, one pair of antennas is much better developed and is much longer than the other. It is due to it that the cyclope develops the required speed, but it can be used also for alternative tasks. For example, the male with their help can hold the female during the mating period.

The whole body of the Cyclops is divided into separate segments, with the thoracic region receiving them at once five. In addition, it is attached to the thoracic legs with special bristles, which help the individual to perform swimming movements. The abdomen received 4 segments and a special branching at the end.

Reproduction

In order to determine the sex of the crustacean of the Cyclops, it is enough just to catch the specimen and look at it through the magnifying glass. If you find a small bag at the end of the body, then the female is in front of you, if not, the male. These crustaceans multiply at a very high rate, due to which they can rapidly populate the reservoir into which they fell. Due to this, it perfectly survives in large quantities even in conditions of vessels or aquariums intended for storage, cyclops.

Crustaceans, whose breeding is possible at home and is not particularly difficult, are caught with a net of thin and durable fabric. In any other case, it will not be possible to catch this small crustacean. It will simply slip into the holes along with the leaking water. Next, you need to run several individuals in a vessel with water.

Larvae

Nauplius - the so-called larva, from which the cyclope is derived. Crustaceans, the reproduction of which is carried out in sufficiently large quantities, is generated at the base of the abdomen of a female, in one or more egg bags. From the laid eggs, later fully formed larvae emerge. It is worth noting that they are radically different from a full-fledged, adult specimen.

In natural natural conditions, it is quite difficult for a fish to catch a cyclope or its larva because of extreme mobility. Therefore, one must always take into account. If crustacean cyclops are used to feed domestic fish, then it is worthwhile to throw in the aquarium a very limited number of individuals, because if the fish do not have time to eat them in time, the crustaceans will begin to develop rapidly within the aquarium and will simply eat all the fry.

Habitat

More often, crustaceans of cyclops (Cyclops) and their closest relatives of diaptomus (Diaptomus) can be found in the coastal stripes of lakes and rivers. Due to their powerful antennas they push off both from the water and from the bottom and make the jumps they need to move. In this case, the jump itself can be made to any side necessary to the Cyclops and is made at sufficiently large distances, given their small size.

Crustacean cyclops can travel a distance of up to 75 mm in just one second. For comparison: the Cyclops more than 25 times faster swims the distance the submarine passes at medium speed.

A separate species of crustaceans Calanus can be found even in conditions of saltwater. It is also the main part of plankton and serves as the most accessible food for many fish.

Interesting Facts

These arthropods can be successfully used as a live or frozen food for aquarium fish, providing them with all the necessary nutrients. It should be borne in mind that the class of crustaceans of the Cyclops (Copepoda) includes many families.

Crustacean cyclops perfectly adapt to changing climatic conditions. In the event that the reservoir freezes or dries up during the droughty period of the year, cyclops produce a special substance and completely envelop their body. At this time, they visually resemble a cocoon in their structure, in which all the processes necessary for vital activity are preserved, even when frozen in the ice. In rare cases, crustacean cyclops keep the cocoon for several years, but most often such a long period is not required. That is why they can be found in large quantities in puddles of melted snow.

Another unique feature of these crustaceans is their resistance to the environment, which is very unfavorable for other animals. As an example, we can cite such a species of Cyclops as Cyclops strenuus, which can live a certain time even in the water where hydrogen sulphide is present. Other species are well tolerated gases, acids or other unfavorable for normal life activities.