Copepods, small aquatic crustaceans, are the most abundant metazoan zooplankton and outnumber every other group of multicellular animals on earth. In spite of ecological and biological importance in aquatic environment, their morphological plasticity, originated from their various lifestyles and their incomparable capacity to adapt to a variety of environments, has made the identification of species challenging, even for expert taxonomists. Molecular approaches to species identification have allowed rapid detection, discrimination, and identification of cryptic or sibling species based on DNA sequence data. We examined sequence variation of a partial mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase I gene (COI) from 133 copepod individuals collected from the Korean Peninsula, in order to identify and discriminate 94 copepod species covering six copepod orders of Calanoida, Cyclopoida, Harpacticoida, Monstrilloida, Poecilostomatoida and Siphonostomatoida. The results showed that there exists a clear gap with ca. 20 fold difference between the averages of within-specific sequence divergence (2.42%) and that of between-specific sequence divergence (42.79%) in COI, suggesting the plausible utility of this gene in delimitating copepod species. The results showed, with the COI barcoding data among 94 copepod species, that a copepod species could be distinguished from the others very clearly, only with four exceptions as followings: Mesocyclops dissimilis–Mesocyclops pehpeiensis (0.26% K2P distance in percent) and Oithona davisae–Oithona similis (1.1%) in Cyclopoida, Ostrincola japonica–Pseudomyicola spinosus (1.5%) in Poecilostomatoida, and Hatschekia japonica–Caligus quadratus (5.2%) in Siphonostomatoida. Thus, it strongly indicated that COI may be a useful tool in identifying various copepod species and make an initial progress toward the construction of a comprehensive DNA barcode database for copepods inhabiting the Korean Peninsula.

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Descriptions are given of 18 species of copepods that live in symbiotic association with polychaete worms in European Seas. Three new genera and six new species of the family Clausiidae Giesbrecht, 1895 are described: Boreoclausia rectan. gen. et n. sp. is described from Galathowenia fragilis (Nilson & Holthe, 1985), Boreoclausia holmesi n. gen. et n. sp.is described from Myriochele danielsseni Hansen, 1879, Sheaderia bifida n. gen. et n. sp. from Euclymene oerstedii (Cla­parède, 1863), Vivgottoia garwoodi n. gen. et n. sp., was found inside the tail fragment of a terebellid host (probably Phisidia aurea Southward, 1956), Rhodinicola tenuis n. sp. from an unknown host, and R. similis n. sp., from Rhodine gracilor (Tauber, 1879). In addition, four other clausiid species, Clausia lubbockii Claparède, 1863, Mesnilia cluthae (T. and A.Scott, 1896), Rhodinicola gibbosus Bresciani, 1964 and R. rugosum (Giesbrecht, 1895), are redescribed in detail on the basis of newly collected material. The previously-unknown hosts of C. lubbockii were found to be species of the spionid polychaete genus Dipolydora Verrill, 1881. Clausia uniseta Bocquet & Stock, 1960 were recognized as a junior subjective synonym of C. lubbockii, and Mesnilia martinensis Canu, 1898 was recognized as a junior subjective synonym of M. cluthae. The sole species of the monotypic family Anomoclausiidae Gotto, 1964, Anomoclausia indrehusae Gotto, 1964, is redescribed based on new material. The host of A. indrehusae, reported here for the first time, is the spionid Pseu­dopolydora paucibranchiata (Okuda, 1937). Four new species of the family Nereicolidae Claus, 1875 are described, three belonging to the genus Anomopsyllus Sars, 1921: Anomopsyllus bifurcus n. sp. from Notomastus latericeus M. Sars, 1851, A. geminus n. sp. from Ampharete lindstroemi Malmgren, 1867, and A. hamiltonae n. sp., from Mugga wahrbergi Elias­son, 1955. The fourth new species is Vectoriella gabesensis n. sp., both sexes of which are described from the paraonid Aricidea catherinae Laubier, 1967 collected in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Tunisia. Another nereicolid, Si­gecheres brittae Bresciani, 1964 is redescribed based on new material collected from the type host Sige fusigera Malmgren, 1865. It is recognized as a junior subjective synonym of Nereicola concinna T. Scott, 1902 and the valid name of this taxon becomes Sigecheres concinna (T. Scott, 1902) new combination. A new species of the family Spiophanicol­idae Ho, 1984, Spiophanicola atlanticus n. sp., is described based on European material. Previously European material of Spiophanicola Ho, 1984 has been reported as S. spinulosus Ho, 1984, but based on consistent differences between the Cal­ifornian S. spinulosus and material from Norway and the British Isles, there is sufficient justification to establish a new species for the European material. Finally one new genus and species is described which cannot be placed, with confi­dence, in any existing family. This new parasite, Notomasticola frondosus n. gen. et n. sp., is based on material from two hosts, a spionid (Pseudopolydora paucibranchiata) and a capitellid (Notomastus latericeus). It is highly derived and may represent a terminal branch within an existing family. The cluster of families using polychaetes as hosts is in need of re­vision based on a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis.

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Fifteen species of poecilostome copepods associated with marine invertebrates, including ten new species, are recorded from intertidal zone in Thailand. New species are Hemicyclops cornutus n. sp. and Hemicyclops parapiculus n. sp. in the family Clausidiidae, Presynaptiphilus trifurcatus n. sp. in the Synaptiphilidae, Anchimolgus kantariensis n. sp. and Anchimolgus palmatus n. sp. in the Anchimolgidae, Kelleria vasfera n. sp. in the Kelleridae, Pseudanthessius stenosus n. sp. and Pseudanthessius phuketensis n. sp. in the Pseudanthessiidae, Doricidola pattayensis n. sp., and Lambanetes mollis n. sp. in the Rhynchomolgidae. Five species are new records of Thailand: Critomolgus gemmatus (Humes, 1964), Doridicola cuspis (Humes, 1964), Doridicola inaequalis (Humes and Ho, 1966), Indomolgus brevisetosus (Humes and Ho, 1966), and Lambanetes stichodactylae Humes, 1982. The female of Lambanetes stichodectylae is described for the first time in the world.

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A new species of copepod, Styelicola omphalus n. sp., of the family Ascidicolidae is described as an associate or symbiont of the ascidian Phallusia nigra Savigny, 1816 from the Red Sea. As major differential features of the new species, the body is large, more than 4 mm long, the antennule is 5-segmented, the mandibular palp is armed with one or two apical setae, and the maxillary syncoxa, maxilliped, and endopods of legs 1-4 are unarmed. This is the first confirmed ascidicolid reported from the Red Sea. Supplementary descriptions for two additional copepods from the same host, but in the family Notodelphyidae, are provided. Males of Bonnierilla projecta Stock, 1967 and Janstockia phallusiella Boxshall and Marchenkov, 2005 are detailed for the first time. The occurrence and location of the three species of copepods differed within the host. Styelicola omphalus was found in approximately 3% of hosts examined, consistently attached to the visceral mass. Bonnierilla projecta, in contrast, occurred in 63% of hosts and was located in the pharyngeal sac, and J. phallusiella was found attached to the internal surface of the tunic (atrium) in 11% of the hosts examined. Although the ascidian P. nigra has a circumtropical distribution, the copepods discussed above have only been reported from the Red Sea. Approximately 25 species of copepods are known as associates of Phallusia worldwide, but these appear restricted to only three (possibly five) of the 20 species currently recognized in this ascidian genus.

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