page_title: Branchiopoda
section_title: Anostraca
hierarchical_section_title: Branchiopoda / Taxonomy / Anostraca
caption_attribution_description: Artemia salina &#160;(Linnaeus, 1758) English: Brine shrimp. Laboratory picture
context_page_description: Branchiopoda is a class of crustaceans. It comprises fairy shrimp, clam shrimp, Cladocera, Notostraca and the Devonian Lepidocaris. They are mostly small, freshwater animals that feed on plankton and detritus.
context_section_description: The fairy shrimp of the order Anostraca 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 live in vernal pools and hypersaline lakes across the world, including pools in deserts, in ice-covered mountain lakes and in Antarctica. They swim "upside-down" and feed by filtering organic particles from the water or by scraping algae from surfaces. They are an important food for many birds and fish, and are cultured and harvested for use as fish food. There are 300 species spread across 8 families.
caption: Artemia salina (Anostraca: Artemiidae)
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