Anostraca

Anostraca Temporal range: Devonian–Recent PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Artemia salina
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Branchiopoda
Subclass:	Sarsostraca Tasch, 1969
Order:	Anostraca G. O. Sars, 1867
Families [1][2]
Artemiidae Grochowski, 1896 Branchinectidae Daday, 1910 Branchipodidae Simon, 1886 Chirocephalidae Daday, 1910 Parartemiidae Daday, 1910 Streptocephalidae Daday, 1910 Tanymastigidae Weekers et al., 2002 Thamnocephalidae Simon, 1886

Anostraca is one of the four orders of crustaceans in the class Branchiopoda; its members are referred to as fairy shrimp. They live in vernal pools and hypersaline lakes across the world, and they have even been found in deserts, ice-covered mountain lakes, and Antarctic ice. They are usually 6–25 mm (0.24–0.98 in) long (exceptionally up to 170 mm or 6.7 in). Most species have 20 body segments, bearing 11 pairs of leaf-like phyllopodia (swimming legs), and the body lacks a carapace. They swim "upside-down" and feed by filtering organic particles from the water or by scraping algae from surfaces, with the exception of Branchinecta gigas, or "giant fairy shrimp", which is itself a predator of other species of anostracans. They are an important food for many birds and fish, and some are cultured and harvested for use as fish food. There are 300 species spread across 8 families.