Checklist of copepods (Calanoida and Podoplea) from the northern Levantine basin shelf waters

This paper is based on the qualitative and quantitative description of planktonic materials collected from the northern Levantine basin shelf waters during the period 1998-1999. Analysis of a total of 75 zooplankton samples collected along the Turkish Mediterranean coast has shown the presence of approximately 200 copepod species. Among these, 76 species are recognised for the first time in this region including four new species. At present, the total list of copepod species from the Levantine basin numbers 233, with several Indo-Pacific species included. The copepod species inhabiting the region are interesting not only because of faunistic properties, but also due to their distribution, which is related to the existing current regime