The copepod genus Oncaea (Poecilostomatoidea) from the Lebanon: taxonomic and ecological observations

Eighteen species of the genus Oncaea, four of them polymorphic,have been collected from the inshore and offshore waters ofthe Lebanon. Three species are new additions to the Mediterraneanfaunal list, O.shmelevi, O.pumilis and O.rufa. The males ofthree poorly described species, O.bathyalis, O.ovalis and O.similis,the female of O.shmelevi and both sexes of O.tenella are redescribed.Oncaea media and O.mediterranea were the two most common representativesof the genus in the study area. Oncaea were most abundant inDecember and January and between March and May; they were mainlymesopelagic and oceanic. Many of the species recorded here havecosmopolitan distributions; some of the smaller ones are lesswell-known, but may prove in time to be as widespread as thelarger taxa.