Abstract:
Order Harpacticoida is the most conspicuous free living copepods in the marine benthic
habitats. They showed an amazing diversity of forms and adapted to widely differing
types of environment. A taxonomic study on the harpacticoida from family
Poircellidiidae was carried out at Sungai Pulai, Johore. The samples were collected from
the seaweed, Ulva reticulata. Taxonomic characters were observed under a compound
microscope attached with lucida tube. There were three species from family
Porcellidiidae were found in this study which were Porcellidium ofunatense,
Porcellidium yoroium and Porcelidium brevicaudatum. All the species showed the
similarity in body shape which was dorso-ventrally flattened. The identification for these
species was done by comparing their morphological structure with the established keys.
Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) was used to examine the fine structure such as pits,
collared sensillae and network of ridges on the body surface of these happacticoid. This
study was considered as a new founding for this family of harpacticoid in Malaysian
waters.
