Why copepods?

species-rich group of holoplanktonic animals
numerous groups of sibling species
subtle morphological changes between species
genuine taxonomic difficulties
further examination of morphological characters not useful
evolutionary history nearly unknown

Why euphausiids?

biomass dominant in some ocean regions and at some times
species with wide-spread disjunct distributions
genetic cohesiveness of species in question
likelihood of cryptic and sibling species

Both groups ...

...are ecologically important
...occupy pivotal positions in fisheries food webs
...need accurate species counts for assessment of marine biodiversity

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