6 | Cyclopoid copepod. Copepods are small (less than .2 inch) crustaceans that are an important food source for the various predatory insects and amphibians in a vernal pool. There are three orders of copepods, the Cyclopodia (shown here) are predatory on other micro-creatures. The clusters at the base of this copepod are eggs. Attached to the animal are harmless algae (green) and the protozoan vorticella (cup-like structures on the right).