The Asian cyclopoid copepod Mesocyclops pehpeiensis reported from the western basin of Lake Erie.

ABSTRACT

The Asian cyclopoid copepod Mesocyclops pehpeiensis Hu, 1943 has been reported as an introduced species at several locations in the western hemisphere. In the United States, reports of this exotic species are restricted to localities in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Washington D.C. This report documents a new record of occurrence for M. pehpeiensis from the western basin of Lake Erie. The detection of M. pehpeiensis in Lake Erie constitutes the first record of this species from the Laurentian Great Lakes, and the northernmost record in the western hemisphere. The species was found in 2016, 2017 and 2018, including females with egg sacks, and can therefore be considered established in the area. The occurrence of M. pehpeiensis in Lake Erie suggests that this Asian copepod may be more widely distributed in North America than is currently understood.