The egg morphology of 7 Acartiidae species: a preliminary survey of the ootaxonomy of calanoids

This is the first contribution to acartiid taxonomy based on egg morphology. Eggs laid under laboratory conditions by maintaining female specimens of Acartia adriatica, A. clausi, A. italica, A. margalefi, A. tonsa, Paracartia latisetosa and Pteriacartia josephinae were studied by S.E.M. Most species produced eggs with intraspecific variation in their external morphology. In spite of such variation, however, it was possible to separate three species groups.