Copepod assemblages in the northern South China Sea during inter-monsoon transition periods

•Spring and autumn copepod assemblages are depicted in the northeast South China Sea.•Copepod assemblages are partially driven by temperature in the SCS.•S. subtenuis and A. negligens are indicative of the South China Sea central gyre.•We provide a synoptic picture of the copepod community structure in the SCS.

We investigated the influence of permanent oceanographic features in structuring copepod assemblages in the northern South China Sea during the inter-monsoon transition periods, spring and autumn. A total of 25 families, 48 genera and 88 species, were recorded, as well as a decrease in species richness along with the seasonal temperature decrease. We show that copepod assemblages are influenced by quasi-permanent oceanographic conditions governing the Northeastern South China Sea, i.e. China Coastal Current and the Kuroshio Current intrusion. This study provides a synoptic picture of the seasonal changes in the community structure of copepods during spring and autumn in the northern South China Sea.