Mesocyclops is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 of copepod

Copepod

Copepods are a group of small crustaceans found in the sea and nearly every freshwater habitat. Some species are planktonic , some are benthic , and some continental species may live in limno-terrestrial habitats and other wet terrestrial places, such as swamps, under leaf fall in wet forests,...

 crustacean

Crustacean

Crustaceans form a very large group of arthropods, usually treated as a subphylum, which includes such familiar animals as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and barnacles. The 50,000 described species range in size from Stygotantulus stocki at , to the Japanese spider crab with a leg span...

s in the family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Cyclopidae

Cyclopidae

Cyclopidae is a family of copepods. It contains more than half of the 1,200 species in the order Cyclopoida in over 70 genera.-Genera:The following genera are accepted as valid:*Abdiacyclops Karanovic, 2005*Acanthocyclops Kiefer, 1927...

. Mesocyclops is used as a nontoxic and inexpensive form of biological mosquito control

Mosquito control

Mosquito control manages the population of mosquitoes to reduce their damage to human health, economies, and enjoyment. Mosquito control is a vital public-health practice throughout the world and especially in the tropics because mosquitoes spread many diseases, such as malaria.Mosquito-control...

.

Biological control

Mesocyclops can be easily harvested, bred and released into freshwater containers where the Aedes aegypti

Aedes aegypti

The yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti is a mosquito that can spread the dengue fever, Chikungunya and yellow fever viruses, and other diseases. The mosquito can be recognized by white markings on legs and a marking in the form of a lyre on the thorax...

mosquito larvae (the vector of Dengue fever

Dengue fever

Dengue fever , also known as breakbone fever, is an infectious tropical disease caused by the dengue virus. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle and joint pains, and a characteristic skin rash that is similar to measles...

) live. A big advantage of the Mesocyclops is that it is possible to teach schoolchildren how to recognize and collect them so that communities are able to perform sustainable mosquito control without much professional or governmental assistance.

A field trial in Vietnam

Vietnam

Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...

 has shown that large-scale elimination of Aedes aegypti larvae is possible. Because Mesocyclops is a host for the Guinea worm (the pathogen causing dracunculiasis

Dracunculiasis

Dracunculiasis , also called guinea worm disease , is a parasitic infection caused by Dracunculus medinensis, a long and very thin nematode . The infection begins when a person drinks stagnant water contaminated with copepods infested by the larvae of the guinea worm...

), this method cannot be used in a small number of countries where the Guinea worm still occurs. Another issue is that cultural traditions may not allow the introduction of animals into freshwater storage vessels.

Species

The genus Mesocyclops contains 129 species:

• Mesocyclops acanthoramus Holynska & Brown, 2003
• Mesocyclops aequatorialis Kiefer, 1929
• Mesocyclops affinis van de Velde, 1987
• Mesocyclops albicans (G. W. Smith, 1909)
• Mesocyclops americanus Dussart, 1985
• Mesocyclops annae Kiefer, 1930
• Mesocyclops annulatus (Wierzejski, 1892)
• Mesocyclops araucanus Löffler, 1962
• Mesocyclops arcanus Defaye, 1995
• Mesocyclops asiaticus Kiefer, 1932
• Mesocyclops aspericornis (Daday, 1906)
• Mesocyclops australiensis (G. O. Sars, 1908)
• Mesocyclops bernardi Petkovski, 1986
• Mesocyclops bodanicola Kiefer, 1955
• Mesocyclops borneoensis Dussart & Fernando, 1988
• Mesocyclops bosumtwii Mirabdullayev, Sanful & Frempong, 2007
• Mesocyclops brasilianus Kiefer, 1933
• Mesocyclops brehmi Kiefer, 1927
• Mesocyclops brevifurcatus Harada, 1931
• Mesocyclops brevisetosus Dussart & Sarnita, 1987
• Mesocyclops brooksi Pesce, De Laurentiis & Humphreys, 1996
• Mesocyclops chaci Fiers (in Fiers, Reid, Iliffe & Suárez-Morales), 1996
• Mesocyclops cokeri Najam-un-Nisa, Mahoon & Irfa Khan, 1987
• Mesocyclops consimilis Kiefer, 1934
• Mesocyclops crassus (Fischer, 1853)
• Mesocyclops curvatus Kiefer, 1981
• Mesocyclops cuttacuttae Dumont & Maas, 1985
• Mesocyclops dadayi Holynska, 1997
• Mesocyclops darwini Dussart & Fernando, 1988
• Mesocyclops dayakorum Holynska, 2000
• Mesocyclops decipiens Kiefer, 1929
• Mesocyclops delamarei Lescher-Moutoué, 1971
• Mesocyclops dissimilis Defaye & Kawabata, 1993
• Mesocyclops dussarti van de Velde, 1984
• Mesocyclops dybowskii (Landé, 1890)
• Mesocyclops edax (Forbes, 1891)
• Mesocyclops ellipticus Kiefer, 1936
• Mesocyclops emini (Mrázek, 1898)
• Mesocyclops evadomingoi Gutierrez-Aguirre & Suarez-Morales, 2001
• Mesocyclops ferjemurami Holynska & Nam, 2000
• Mesocyclops forbesi Najam-un-Nisa, Mahoon & Irfa Khan, 1987
• Mesocyclops francisci Holynska, 2000
• Mesocyclops friendorum Holynska, 2000
• Mesocyclops geminus Holynska, 2000
• Mesocyclops gracilis (Lilljeborg, 1853)
• Mesocyclops granulatus Dussart & Fernando, 1988
• Mesocyclops guangxiensis Reid & Kay, 1992
• Mesocyclops holynskae Karanovic, 2006
• Mesocyclops ianthinus Harada, 1931
• Mesocyclops incisus Kiefer, 1932
• Mesocyclops infrequens Kiefer, 1929
• Mesocyclops inopinus (Kiefer, 1926)
• Mesocyclops insulensis
  Mesocyclops insulensis
  Mesocyclops insulensis is a species of copepod in the family Cyclopidae, endemic to Lake Bemapaza, on Nosy Bé island, Madagascar....
  
  Dussart, 1982
• Mesocyclops intermedius Pesce, 1985
• Mesocyclops inversus Kiefer, 1936
• Mesocyclops iranicus Lindberg, 1936
• Mesocyclops isabellae Dussart & Fernando, 1988
• Mesocyclops kawamurai K. Kikuchi, 1940
• Mesocyclops kayi Holynska & Brown, 2003
• Mesocyclops kieferi van de Velde, 1984
• Mesocyclops leuckarti (Claus, 1857)
• Mesocyclops longisetus (Thiébaud, 1912)
• Mesocyclops macracanthus Kiefer, 1929
• Mesocyclops maheensis Lindberg, 1941
• Mesocyclops major G. O. Sars, 1927
• Mesocyclops mariae Guo, 2000
• Mesocyclops medialis Defaye, 2001
• Mesocyclops meridianus (Kiefer, 1926)
• Mesocyclops meridionalis Dussart & Frutos, 1986
• Mesocyclops microlasius Kiefer, 1981
• Mesocyclops microspinulosus Lindberg, 1942
• Mesocyclops minutus Lowndes, 1934
• Mesocyclops monardi (Perret, 1925)
• Mesocyclops mongoliensis Kiefer, 1981
• Mesocyclops neglectus G. O. Sars, 1909
• Mesocyclops nicaraguensis Herbst, 1960
• Mesocyclops nigerianus Kiefer, 1932
• Mesocyclops notius Kiefer, 1981
• Mesocyclops oblongatus G. O. Sars, 1927
• Mesocyclops obsoletus (Koch, 1838)
• Mesocyclops ogunnus Onabamiro, 1957
• Mesocyclops oithonoides (G. O. Sars, 1863)
• Mesocyclops operculifer Kiefer, 1930
• Mesocyclops orghidani Plesa, 1981
• Mesocyclops paludosus Lindberg, 1956
• Mesocyclops papuensis van de Velde, 1987
• Mesocyclops paranaensis Dussart & Frutos, 1986
• Mesocyclops parentium Holynska, 1997
• Mesocyclops pehpeiensis Hu, 1943
• Mesocyclops pescei Petkovski, 1986
• Mesocyclops pilosus Kiefer, 1930
• Mesocyclops pseudoannae van de Velde, 1987
• Mesocyclops pseudomeridianus Defaye & Dussart, 1989
• Mesocyclops pseudooperculatus (Lindberg, 1957)
• Mesocyclops pseudospinosus Dussart & Fernando, 1988
• Mesocyclops pubiventris Holynska & Brown, 2003
• Mesocyclops rarus Kiefer, 1981
• Mesocyclops rectus Lindberg, 1937
• Mesocyclops reidae Petkovski, 1986
• Mesocyclops restrictus Dussart & Fernando, 1985
• Mesocyclops retroversus Kiefer, 1929
• Mesocyclops ruttneri Kiefer, 1981
• Mesocyclops rylovi Smirnov, 1928
• Mesocyclops salinus Onabamiro, 1957
• Mesocyclops schmeili (Poppe & Mrázek, 1895)
• Mesocyclops schuurmanae Kiefer, 1928
• Mesocyclops shenzhenensis Guo, 2000
• Mesocyclops simillimus Brady, 1907
• Mesocyclops spinifer (Daday, 1902)
• Mesocyclops spinosus van de Velde, 1984
• Mesocyclops splendidus Lindberg, 1943
• Mesocyclops strenuus (Daday, 1905)
• Mesocyclops taihokuensis Harada, 1931
• Mesocyclops tenellus (G. O. Sars, 1909)
• Mesocyclops tenuis (Marsh, 1910)
• Mesocyclops tenuisaccus (G. O. Sars, 1927)
• Mesocyclops thermocyclopoides Harada, 1931
• Mesocyclops tinctus (Lindberg, 1936)
• Mesocyclops tobae Kiefer, 1933
• Mesocyclops trichophorus Kiefer, 1930
• Mesocyclops trispinosus (Shen & Tai, 1964)
• Mesocyclops varius Dussart, 1987
• Mesocyclops venezolanus Dussart, 1987
• Mesocyclops vermifer Lindberg, 1935
• Mesocyclops vizarae Fryer, 1957
• Mesocyclops woutersi van de Velde, 1987
• Mesocyclops wraniki Baribwegure & Dumont, 2000
• Mesocyclops yenae Holynska, 1998
• Mesocyclops yesoensis Ishida, 1999
• Mesocyclops yutsil Reid in Fiers, Reid, Iliffe & Suárez-Morales, 1996