Taxonomic composition and grazing rate of calanoid copepods in coastal
waters in the northern tip of Taiwan was studied in May 1996. During
the study period chlorophyll a concentrations in the upper 2 m of the
water column were low. Twenty-five species of calanoid copepods were i
dentified. Acrocalanus gracilis, Canthocalanus pauper, Temora discauda
ta, Temora turbinata, and Undinula vulgaris were found over the entire
study area. Gut pigment content of 17 species was measured with the g
ut fluorescence method. The variability of the gut pigment contents fo
r a single species among the sampling stations comprised about a facto
r 2 to 4. Ingestion rates and clearance rates were calculated from gut
pigment data. The highest values were observed in Temora discaudata,
Temora turbinata, and Undinula vulgaris.