? Fairy shrimp
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Subphylum: Crustacea Class: Branchiopoda Subclass: Sarsostraca Tasch, 1969 Order: Anostraca G. O. Sars, 1867
Families
Artemiidae Grochowski, 1896 Branchinectidae Daday, 1910 Branchipodidae Simon, 1886 Chirocephalidae Daday, 1910 Polyartemiidae Simon, 1886 Streptocephalidae Daday, 1910 Thamnocephalidae Simon, 1886

Fairy shrimp (Anostraca) are branchiopods that include brine shrimp. They often appear in vernal pools, pot holes and other ephemeral pools. They are well-adapted to living in arid areas where water is present for only part of the year. Their eggs will survive drought for several years and hatch about 30 hours after rains fill the pools where they live. Some eggs may not hatch until going through several wet/dry cycles, ensuring the animals' survival through times that the pools don't last long enough for the shrimp to reproduce. Fairy shrimp. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms (as opposed to folk taxonomy). ... Phyla Animals are a major group of organisms, classified as the kingdom Animalia or Meta­zoa. ... Subphyla and Classes Subphylum Trilobitomorpha Trilobita - Trilobites (extinct) Subphylum Chelicerata Arachnida - Spiders, Scorpions, etc. ... Classes Remipedia Cephalocarida Branchiopoda Ostracoda Maxillopoda Malacostraca The crustaceans (Crustacea) are a large group of arthropods (55,000 species), usually treated as a subphylum. ... Subclasses and Orders Subclass Sarsostraca Order Anostraca (fairy shrimp) Subclass Phyllopoda Order Notostraca (tadpole shrimp) Superorder Diplostraca Order Cladocera (water fleas) Order Conchostraca (clam shrimps) Suborder Laevicaudata Suborder Spinicaudata Suborder Cyclestherida Branchiopoda is a group of primitive and primarily fresh water crustaceans, mostly resembling shrimp. ... Georg Ossian Sars (April 20, 1837 - April 9, 1927) was a Norwegian marine biologist. ... 1867 (MDCCCLXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... In biological classification, family (Latin: familia, plural familiae) is 1) a rank or 2) a taxon in that rank. ... Artemiidae is a family most commonly known for the brine shrimp, Artemia salina. ... Subclasses and Orders Subclass Sarsostraca Order Anostraca (fairy shrimp) Subclass Phyllopoda Order Notostraca (tadpole shrimp) Superorder Diplostraca Order Cladocera (water fleas) Order Conchostraca (clam shrimps) Suborder Laevicaudata Suborder Spinicaudata Suborder Cyclestherida Branchiopoda is a group of primitive and primarily fresh water crustaceans, mostly resembling shrimp. ... Species Brine shrimp (Artemia) are a type of aquatic crustacean. ... A typical vernal pool in the western U.S. A vernal pool is usually a shallow depression in level ground with no permanent above-ground outlet. ... The city of Los Angeles is famous for its large potholes. ... Ephemeral things are transitory, existing only briefly. ... A drought or an extreme dry periodic climate is an extended period where water availability falls below the statistical requirements for a region. ...

The western U.S. (especially California) is home to many species of fairy shrimp, five of which are threatened or endangered: the vernal pool fairy shrimp (Branchinecta lynchi, threatened), the Conservancy fairy shrimp (Branchinecta conservatio, endangered), the San Diego fairy shrimp (Branchinecta sandiegonensis, endangered), the longhorn fairy shrimp (Branchinecta longiantenna, endangered), and the Riverside fairy shrimp (Streptocephalus wootoni, endangered). All these listed species are endemic to the west coast, some found in fewer than a dozen populations in a very small area. The vernal pool fairy shrimp (Branchinecta lynchi) was thought to exist only in California until a population was discovered in the Agate Desert area of Oregon in 1998. This page is about the country United States of America. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... In biology and ecology endemic means exclusively native to a place or biota, in contrast to cosmopolitan or introduced. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Official language(s) None Capital Largest city Salem Portland Area  Ranked 9th  - Total 98,466 sq. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ...

Although most fairy shrimp are small (under ½ inch, 1 cm), the largest species are over 6 inches (15 cm) long and are predatory on other fairy shrimp. The giant fairy shrimp (Branchinecta gigas) is the largest and is found in the playas of California's southern deserts. This species traps the much smaller alkali fairy shrimp (Branchinecta mackini) with its large antennae. In contrast, the newly-discovered giant fairy shrimp Branchinecta raptor from Idaho has modified raptorial phylopods, which it uses to stab and puncture its prey.

External links

• http://www.vernalpool.org/inf_fs.htm