Daphnia Pulex Water Flea

“Water Flea is a popular name for minute aquatic Crustaceans such as daphnia, cypris, and cyclops. The common Daphnia pulex, abundant in fresh water, is a good representative. The body is enclosed in a bivalve shell; there is a large single eye; a pair of large antennæ are used as swimming organs. The daphnids are marvellously prolific, and for prolonged periods parthenogenetic. There is an interesting difference between the winter eggs which require fertilization and the summer eggs which do not. The females have a dorsal brood chamber betwen the shell and the back. Water fleas fed on microscopic plants and animals and on organic debris, while they themselves– often occurring in countless swarms– form an important part of the food supply of certain fishes."—(Charles Leonard-Stuart, 1911)

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