sticholonche zanclea (protozoa, actinopoda) in fecal pellets of copepods and euphausia sp. in brazilian coastal waters

Abstract

Fecal pellets produced by mesozooplanktonic copepods (Centropages velificatus and Paracalanus parvus) and macrozooplanktonic Euphausiacea (Euphausia sp.) were examined using scanning electron microscopy. Fragments of the protozoan Sticholonche zanclea were found in both copepod and in Euphausia sp. fecal pellets, even when the abundance of the protozoan in the water was low. The results suggest that S. zanclea is an important food resource for different trophic levels, including meso- and macrozooplankton, in Brazilian coastal waters.