Scientific name: Artemia sp.

Phylum: Arthropoda

Subphylum: Crustacea

Class : Branchiopoda

Description: The sizes of Brine shrimp range from 1 to 10mm. The trunk has thorax of 11 segments, and abdomen of 8 segments. Brine shrimps do not have carapace. The head has a pair of large, stalked compound eyes and a single median simple eye.

Distribution: They are usually found in ephemeral ponds, hyper-saline lakes and marine lagoons.

Locomotion: Brine shrimp can swim ventral side by beating trunk appendages.

Food gathering: They use their trunk appendages to catch suspended food in the water.

Gas exchange: Gills in branchial chambers protect fairy shrimp from desiccation in inter-tidal regions. They can generate a ventilated current.

Reproduction: The sexes are separated, with eggs being fertilized internally. There is a free swimming nauplius larval stage in their life history.

Interesting facts: Brine shrimp can produce resistant, (cryptobiotic) fertilized eggs to accommodate unfavorable conditions. These shrimp are often used as live feed in aquaculture for larval or juvenile fish.

 

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