Insight into the reproductive biology of euryhaline cyclopoid copepods Apocyclops dengizicus and Apocyclops royi

The present research work aimed to investigate the unexplored information about mating strategies and reproductive potential of two euryhaline cyclopoid species Apocyclops dengizicus and A. royi. Laboratory experiments on mating strategy and reproductive aspects such as the efficacy of females under different mating conditions, the reproductive potential of males, mating frequency, and the effect of starvation on survival and reproductive potential, were conducted and documented. The once-mated female and females pairing continuously with males favored higher reproductive potential. In the present study, the mate-pursuing males prefers to copulate with mature virgin females. The older female was unable to produce eggs even after the sperm discharge. The lifespan of both the Apocyclops species under different states of mating and unmated conditions showed considerable variation. Apocyclops dengizicus produced 7.92±0.57 pairs of spermatophores, while A. royi extruded 13.32±0.99 pairs of spermatophores during its lifespan. The results were analyzed and inferred; thus high throughput was applied to reveal the understudied topics of these Apocyclops species to add considerable knowledge about its reproductive biology.