Crustacean · copepod

Black prince copepod

Gaussia princeps

PacificAtlanticIndianSouthernArctic Found in 3 oceans

Depth

About 150 to 1,100 m, rises at night to feed. Reported down to 3,000 m

Size

About 1 cm, very large for a copepod

Diet

Small crustaceans and other zooplankton

Zone

Twilight zone · 200 – 1,000 m

Key facts

• To escape, it does a somersault and releases puffs of blue light. It is one of the brightest copepods.
• Its light protein, Gaussia luciferase, is the smallest known. Laboratories all over the world use it to track what happens inside cells.
• This luciferase is much brighter than that of the firefly.

Verified sources

1. UCSB Bioluminescence Web Page : Gaussia
2. Monterey Bay Aquarium : Black prince copepod
3. Suárez-Morales 2007, Zootaxa 1621 : Gaussia princeps in the western Caribbean
4. New England Biolabs : Gaussia and Cypridina luciferases

In the game: To observe

In the same zone

Crystal amphipodCystisoma sp. Müller’s pearlsideMaurolicus muelleri Oceanic lightfishVinciguerria nimbaria Swordtail squidChiroteuthis calyx Odd bobtail squidHeteroteuthis dispar LanternfishFamily Myctophidae