CHECKLIST OF THE MARINE PLANKTONIC COPEPODA OF SOUTHERN AFRICA AND THEIR WORLDWIDE GEOGRAPHIC-DISTRIBUTION

The paper contains an updated checklist of marine planktonic copepods in three areas off southern Africa: the Atlantic tropical region from 11-degrees-N to 17-degrees-S; the area influenced by the Benguela syst em (south of 17-degrees-S in the eastern Atlantic, i.e. the coasts of Namibia and western South Africa, which are generally treated separate ly in the literature); the area influenced by the Agulhas Current (sou th of 10-degrees-S in the western Indian Ocean). All synonymies and na mes have been revised according to updated nomenclature and general an notations on worldwide distribution included for all species. One genu s and 16 species are recorded for the first time off Namibia. From the 1950 known species of marine and brackish water planktonic copepods, 511 species (26%) from 42 families (69%) and 114 genera (45%) are cite d for the three areas studied. In total, 86 species are cited exclusiv ely for the tropical Atlantic, 20 exclusively for Namibia, four for th e South African west coast and three for the South African south and e ast coasts. Only 192 species are common to all areas studied.