Atlas of Atlantic Ostracods

Taxon details

List

Conchoecia magna Claus, 1874

Order:: MYODOCOPA
Suborder:: Halocypridina
Family:: Halocyprididae
Subfamily:: Conchoecinae

Size range (females):: 1.7-2.3 mm
Size range (males):: 1.5-2.3 mm
Depth:: epi-/mesopelagic

Notes

Records: 706(+ 83 records of .aff

This species has repeatedly been confused with both C. hyalophyllum and C. parvidentata. Moreover, specimens from both the North and South Pacific formerly attributed to this species are not the same, but are yet to be formally described. Records from the North Pacific have neither been included in the count given above, nor have their distributions been included in the maps. Müller (1906) described a subspecies from the Indian Ocean, C. magna rhombica, which was differentiated from the type species by having an acutely angled posterior dorsal corner; this subspecies has not been reported since. So in the context of this confusion and uncertainty it is unfortunate that C. magna was designated as the type species for the genus Conchoecia by Sylvester-Bradley & Iles (1956), who at the same time regularized the use of the current spelling (Dana’s original spelling was Conchaecia). Angel (1969) redescribed the species when clearing up the confusion between it and C. hyalophyllum and Porroecia parthenoda. However, the exact status of Skogsberg’s (1930) species Conchoecia tetragona remains unresolved. The geographical range of C. magna is from 54°S to 54°N. Females are most abundant at daytime depths of 100-500m but also occur regularly to depths of 1000m, whereas males and juveniles are most abundant at 100-300m. The bathymetric profiles show that the species is predominantly shallow mesopelagic and undertakes diel vertical migrations. At night a large proportion of adults migrate to depths of 25-50m and juveniles move even shallower and are even caught in small numbers in the neuston at night (Angel (1979).

Living specimens are translucent with orange and red pigmentation associated with the bases of the limbs.

N. Atlantic	n	Mean mm	s.d	Range mm
Female	217	1.99	0.080	1.80-2.18
Male	165	1.93	0.054	1.84-2.08
A-1	23	1.22	0.093	1.08-1.38
A-2	11	0.79	0.029	0.74-0.84
A-3	14	0.58	0.043	0.52-0.70

Map

Bathymetry

Drawings

Outline

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