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 Major Groups | Crustacea (crustaceans) | Anostraca (fairy shrimp)
 

Anostraca (fairy shrimp)

Major Group: Crustacea
Minor Group: Anostraca 

Descriptive Features:

  • soft, delicate, variable colour
  • clearly defined head, thorax and abdomen
  • no carapace
  • prominent stalked eyes
  • 11 pairs of leaf-like appendages, 1 pair per thoracic segment
  • legs with 1 pre-epipodite
  • telson well developed
  • uropods placed obliquely on telson and evenly setose
  • Total length: small to moderately large, 10 - 50 mm
  •  

    Branchinella sp.

     

    Branchinella sp.

    Taxonomic Checklist: Families Genera
    Artemiidae Artemia (brine species)
    Branchiopodidae Australobranchipus (freshwater species)
    Parartemidae Parartemia (brine species)
    Streptocephalidae Streptocephalus (freshwater species)  
    Thamnocephalidae Branchinella (fresh & saline species)

    Distribution: Australia wide

    Sensitivity Rating: SIGNAL grade 1

    Functional Feeding Group: filtering collectors

     

    pool at Muella Station, Paroo River catchment NSW (Qld)

    Ecology: Instream habitat: Fairy shrimps occur in temporary freshwaters including, pools, ditches, rock holes, and ponds.
    Feeding ecology: Anostracans are planktonic filter feeders, using a groove between the bases of the thoracic legs to filter microscopic organisms from the water.
    Habit: Anostracans characteristically swim with their ventral surface uppermost.
    Life history: Males use the enlarged antennae to grasp females during copulation. Eggs are resistant to desiccation and are activated by the presence of water. Branchinella can develop from resting eggs to a dense population quickly after inundation. Nuisance blooms can occur.

     

    Information Sources: Timms 2004, 2008, 2011, Geddes 1981, Gooderham & Tsyrlin 2002, Hawking & Smith 1997, Ingram et al 1997, Williams 1980

    Key to Families: Timms 2004, Timms 2012 (brine species)
    Key to Genera: Timms 2004, Timms 2012 (brine species)
    Key to Species: Timms 2004 (incomplete), Timms 2012 (brine species)