Eurycercidae
Guides
Eurycercus
Eurycercus is a genus of large-bodied cladoceran crustaceans (water fleas) and the sole genus of the monotypic family Eurycercidae. Species reach up to 6 mm in length, making them among the largest anomopods. The genus contains 16 described species distributed across four subgenera, with a primarily Holarctic distribution and some extensions into the Neotropics and Southern Hemisphere. Species occupy littoral zones of freshwater lakes and ponds, often associated with submerged vegetation.
Eurycercus longirostris
Eurycercus longirostris is a Holarctic cladoceran crustacean first described by Hann in 1982. A 2011 taxonomic revision synonymized E. vernalis with E. longirostris due to lack of morphological and genetic justification for their separation. The species has a broader distributional range than previously recognized and belongs to the subgenus Eurycercus (Eurycercus). As a member of the Eurycercidae family, it shares characteristics with other chydorid-like cladocerans including a rounded carapace and specialized feeding appendages.