Name
Cladocera
water flea
Framing
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Branchiopoda
Order: Diplostraca
Suborder: Cladocera
Habitat
Aquatic, planktonic or benthic (mainly freshwater, some marine)
Feeding
Free-living (except for a parasitic species of Hydra). Loners. The type of feeding varies depending on the species: most are planktivorous filter feeders, some are detritivorous or predatory
Distribution
Cosmopolitan
Conservation status
Not evaluated
Additional information
The taxonomy of the group is complex, and currently the Cladocerans have been divided into four orders: Ctenopoda, Anomopoda, Onychopoda and Haplopoda (Alonso, M. 1996. Crustacea Branchiopoda. Fauna Ibérica Vol. 7. MNCN-CSIC, Madrid)
Additional information
Bibliography
- Alonso, M. (1996). Crustacea Branchiopoda. Fauna Ibérica Vol. 7. MNCN-CSIC, Madrid. (Disponible en Biblioteca de la Facultad de Ciencias)
- Olesen, J. (1998). A phylogenetic analysis of the Conchostraca and Cladocera (Crustacea, Branchiopoda, Diplostraca). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 122: 491-536. https://doi.org/10.1006/zjls.1996.0096
- Sala, J., García-de-Lomas, J. & Alonso, M. (2015). Clase Branchiopoda - Orden Anomopoda. Revista IDE@-SEA, 66, 1-11. Accesible en: http://sea-entomologia.org/IDE@/revista_66.pdf
- Sala, J., García-de-Lomas, J. & Alonso, M. (2015). Clase Branchiopoda - Orden Ctenopoda. Revista IDE@-SEA, 69, 1-7. Accesible en: http://sea-entomologia.org/IDE@/revista_69.pdf