ABSTRACT
The feeding appendages of calanoid copepods with different feeding modes are described in an attempt to shed light on the various feeding processes. Special attention was given to mandibular structures and the distances between setules on the maxillae. The presence of long plumose setae and small intersetule spacings on the mouthparts, as well as cutting edges that have many short grinding teeth, are typical for particle-feeding copepod species. Stout setae and cutting edges with fewer sharp teeth characterize the raptorial species. Morphological differences exist between the sexes of some copepod species as well as between congeneric species from different geographical latitudes. Recent microcinematographic observations on the feeding processes have revealed that copepods are not purely passivemechanical filtering animals with sieve-like maxillae; they detect and handle large particles individually while smaller ones are accumulated passively by the maxillae. Chemo- and mechanoreceptors seem to be involved in the tracing and selection of food particles.
