Predatory water flea
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| phylum | Arthropoda | Leptodora kindtii is one of two species in its genus of large, nearly transparent predatory water fleas. Length is up to 21 mm (0.83 in), with two antennae used for swimming and a single compound eye. The legs create a feeding basket to catch copepods, which trigger a reflex upon contact. Habitat is temperate lakes across the Northern Hemisphere. Reproduction is by parthenogenesis for most of the year, with males appearing only late in the season to produce eggs that overwinter to hatch in the spring.
For more information see the Wikipedia entry. Get back to Branchiopoda |
| subphylum | Crustacea | |
| class | Branchiopoda | |
| order | Cladocera | |
| suborder | Haplopoda | |
| family | Leptodoridae | |
| genus | Leptodora | |
| species | L. kindtii |
