CLUTCH DETACHMENT IN A COPEPOD AFTER CAPTURE BY A PREDATOR

When the egg-carrying copepod, Eudiaptomus gracilis, is captured by la rvae of predatory Chaoborus species (C. obscuripes or C. flavicans) in laboratory experiments, the external egg clutch detaches in 16-29% of cases, thereby allowing the eggs to escape from ingestion. Clutch det achment may be due to active removal by the female before she is eaten or the result of accidental loss by the predator during handling. Det ached clutches were significantly larger than those that were ingested along with the female. Clutch detachment is advantageous to the femal e since ingested eggs are lost, whereas detached eggs hatch normally a nd may potentially propagate the genotype. Chaoborus predation may the refore influence the evolution of clutch size and the degree of iterop arity in Eudiaptomus.