Spatio-temporal distribution of the calanoid copepod genus Centropages in relation to environmental factors in the southern Adriatic Sea (NE Mediterranean)

Spatial and temporal variability of Copepoda was studied at four stations in the Bay of Boka Kotorska and five stations in the open waters of the South Adriatic Sea in 2008. The research area included three sectors differing in geographical and hydrological conditions: The Bay of Boka Kotorska, the estuary of the Bojana river (both with the typical neritic Copepod fauna), and offshore waters of South Adriatic Sea (with the pelagic species). Four species from the genus Centropages Kr & ouml;yer, 1849 were registered: C. typicus Kr & ouml;yer, 1849, C. kr & ouml;yeri Giesbrecht, 1893, C. violaceus (Claus, 1863) and C. ponticus Karavaev, 1895. Only one of the species, C. typicus, , was encountered at all nine stations. By examining the seasonal distribution and abundance of specimens, as well as the ecological properties of the researched area, we observed particular behavioural pattern in distribution and abundance of certain species that had not been described previously. The conclusion is that the seasonal differences in the horizontal distribution are associated with the dynamics of the hydrographic conditions of the South Adriatic Sea. Significant relationships have been reported between C . kr & ouml;yeri abundance and the temperature and dissolved oxygen concentration, and C . typicus abundance and pH factor.