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Thysanopoda aequalis is a species of krill found in subtropical and tropical Atlantic, Mediterranean, central and western Pacific and Southern Indian Ocean. It is a planktonic crustacean between the size of 12-19 mm. T. aequalis feeds on phytoplankton and marine detritus and is one of the most abundant zooplankton species in the Sargasso Sea. In the Mediterranean Sea, they are one of the most abundant species of euphausiid with Euphausia hemigibba. They are also a major food source for various planktivorous fish. They can be distinguished by their rounded and equally inflated frontal plate wand a lappet with an upper surface extending forward, covering the full width of segment 2. The male's thoracic leg 3 has distal 3 segments modified. Taxonomically, they are closely related to Thysanopoda astylata and Thysanopoda obtusifrons.

Ocean Carbon Cycle
In the biological pump, T. aequalis 's vertical migration contributes to the active transport of both dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) by respiration and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) by feeding near the surface and produce sinking fecal pellets below the mixed layer at the Bermuda Atlantic Time-series Study (BATS) site. The source of carbon they export to the deeper depths will help transfer the atmospheric carbon to the deep sea where carbon is sequestered and stored for

Behavior
T.aequalis has a well-developed filtering basket made by their thoracic legs to filter feed on phytoplankton. Depending on the quantity and the quality of the phytoplankton availability, they can switch to a carnivorous feeding mode. They live in the open ocean and perform a diel vertical migration between 300 - 600 m.