| Daphniidae | |
|---|---|
| Daphnia pulex | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Branchiopoda |
| Order: | Anomopoda |
| Family: | Daphniidae Straus, 1820 |
Daphniidae is a family ofwater fleas in the orderAnomopoda.
Members of the family Daphniidae differ from other, similar diplostracans, such as theMacrotrichidae andMoinidae, in that the antennae of females are short and immobile.[1]
The feeding mechanism of the members of the family Daphniidae differs from that of the Macrotrichidae in allowing the animals to engage infilter feeding, rather than having to scrape food from a surface. They have evolved to fill a number of differentecological niches.Scapholeberis andMegafenestra contain species adapted to living around the surface film;Simocephalus species cling to objects while filter feeding; others have developed apelagic lifestyle.[2] A lot of Daphniidae have accidentally been introduced by humans to areas outside of their native range.[3]
The family Daphniidae contains 121 species in five genera:[4][5][6]
The members of the family Moinidae may also be placed among the Daphniidae.[7]