Boroecia borealis G.O. Sars, 1866
A common mesopelagic boreo-arctic ostracod
Size
| min & max (mm) | ||
| Female | 2.30 | 3.00 |
| Male | 2.02 | 2.50 |
A-1 |
1.50 | 1.95 |
| A-2 | 0.97 | 1.35 |
| A-3 | 0.66 | 0.90 |
| A-4 | 0.49 | 0.64 |
| A-5 | 0.31 | 0.49 |
| A-6 | 0.29 | 0.31 |
Color & shape
- Transparent
- In adult males asymmetric gland visible on left valve
- Characteristic, enlarged shoulder vaults with sharp edge
Habitat
- Oceanic, Mesopelagic
- Advected to high latitudes in Atlantic water inflow
- Common only in waters under Atlantic influence, rare in the central basins
- Often dominant and abundant at mesopelagic depths in the North Atlantic
- Distribution correlated positively with temperature
Feeding
- Detritivores
- Adapted to exploit different kinds of sinking particles
Life cycle
- Eggs scattered into water
- After egg it reaches A-6 juvenile stage
- Develop from A-6 juvenile stage till A-1 juvenile stage and then adult (Ad) in one year cycle
- Probably one generation per year
Page Author: Kasia Blachowiak
Revised: November 14, 2011
