Oithona brevicornis Giesbrecht (Copepoda: Cyclopoida), Invader into the Black Sea and in the Sea of Azov

摘要

The pattern of distribution and biology of a cyclopoid copepod Oithona brevicornis new to the northeastern shelf of the Black Sea was studied. Penetration of this species will probably change the troplhic structure of mesozooplankton in the neritic zone. From late August to November 2010, O. brevicornis was a predominant species in mesozooplankton, reaching 80—85% of its total amount. In September, its maximum density in Novorossiysk Bay reached 30 000 ind./m , in Gelendzhik Bay and Anapa Bay and inLake Zmeinoe (Big Utrish), it was 22 000—27 600 ind./m~3. In August 2010 O. brevicornis was recorded in the Sea of Azov In the period of peak of reproduction of the pelagic predator ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi A. Agassiz in the Temryuk Gulf, its abundance varied from 4 to 600 ind./m~3.