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The Diplostraca or Cladocera, commonly known as water fleas, is a superorder of small, mostly freshwater crustaceans, most of which feed on microscopic chunks of organic matter, though some forms are predatory. [2] Over 1000 species have been recognised so far, with many more undescribed.
The adults are roughly 1.5 to 4 mm in length and are laterally flattened. They are dark brown in color, are wingless, and have piercing-sucking mouthparts that aid in feeding on the host's blood. Both genal and pronotal combs are absent and the adult flea has a rounded head. Most fleas are distributed in the egg, larval, or pupal stages.
Daphnia pulex is the most common species of water flea. [3] It has a cosmopolitan distribution : the species is found throughout the Americas, Europe, and Australia. [ 4 ] It is a model species , and was the first crustacean to have its genome sequenced.
There are more than 2,000 species of tiny (0.04 to 0.15 inches), wingless, blood-sucking fleas that live on the body of the host they infest. Although fleas cannot fly, they have developed ...
This genus demonstrates the ability to survive in waters containing low oxygen levels, high salinity, and other impurities, including salt pans, and commonly eutrophication. [6] An example of such an extreme habitat is the highly saline Makgadikgadi Pans of Botswana , which supports prolific numbers of Moina belli .
Polyphemus is a genus of water fleas, and the only genus in the family Polyphemidae. [1] There are two species, P. exiguus and P. pediculus, although allopatric speciation has resulted in a number of cryptic species of P. pediculus. [2] Polyphemus exiguus inhabits open zones in the Caspian Sea, [3] while Polyphemus pediculus exists throughout ...
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Although many species of flea require a blood meal before they can copulate, that is not the case with Ceratophyllus gallinae. [6] As with other fleas, the life cycle consists of eggs, the larval stages, a pupal stage and an adult stage. [7] The larvae have chewing jaws and it is only the adult fleas that are capable of biting the host.