Copepod species and their trace metal contents in coastal northern Taiwan

► In total, 106 species of copepods, belonging to 22 families and 43 genera, were recorded in seawater of Northern Taiwan. ► The sequence of trace metal concentrations in the analyzed copepods was Fe > Zn > Ni > Mn > Cr > Cu > Cd≧Co≧Pb. ► The same metal content of copepods varied obviously between the intra and inter species. ► The copepod metals quota exhibited spatial variation: coastal water > the Taiwan Strait > the southern East China Sea.