Temporary-pool
Guides
Anabolia
Anabolia is a genus of northern caddisflies in the family Limnephilidae, containing approximately 18 described species. Species within this genus inhabit both temporary and permanent aquatic environments, with some species adapted to fluctuating water levels. Larvae exhibit rapid growth rates and extended hatching periods. Adults of some species use sex pheromones for mate attraction.
Eubranchipus
fairy shrimp, vernalis fairy shrimp, eastern fairy shrimp
Eubranchipus is a genus of freshwater fairy shrimp (Anostraca: Chirocephalidae) comprising 21 described species. These small branchiopods inhabit temporary pools and vernal ponds across North America, Europe, and Asia. Populations exhibit rapid life cycles synchronized with ephemeral aquatic habitats, hatching from desiccation-resistant resting eggs when pools fill and completing development before summer desiccation.
Eubranchipus serratus
Ethologist Fairy Shrimp
Eubranchipus serratus is a fairy shrimp species in the family Chirocephalidae, first described by Forbes in 1876. It is one of approximately 300 species of Anostraca, commonly known as fairy shrimp, which are specialized for temporary aquatic habitats. The species has been documented across North America, though specific ecological details remain limited in published sources.
Eulimnadia
clam shrimp
Eulimnadia is a genus of small freshwater branchiopods commonly known as clam shrimp. The genus is notable for its rare androdioecious mating system, where populations consist of males and hermaphrodites but lack pure females. This reproductive strategy has persisted for an estimated 24–180 million years across multiple speciation events, making it one of the most stable examples of androdioecy known in animals. Species are distinguished primarily by the morphology of their resting eggs (cysts), which show distinctive sculpturing patterns. The genus contains approximately 13–25 described species with a cosmopolitan distribution across every continent except Antarctica.
Eulimnadia geayi
Eulimnadia geayi is a small freshwater crustacean in the family Limnadiidae, commonly known as clam shrimp. First described by Eugen von Daday in 1913, this species inhabits temporary aquatic habitats across Central and South America. Like other members of its genus, it produces drought-resistant eggs that survive in dry sediment until rainfall triggers hatching. The species plays a role in ephemeral pool food webs as both a detritivore and prey item.
Helophoridae
water scavenger beetles, crawling water beetles
Helophoridae is a family of small aquatic beetles within the superfamily Hydrophiloidea, containing the single genus Helophorus. The family comprises approximately 191 species distributed primarily across the Holarctic region, with 150 species in the Palearctic and 41 in North America. A limited number of species occur in the Afrotropical region (six species), Central America, and the Indomalayan region (one species in northern India). Species inhabit diverse freshwater habitats including springs, ponds, temporary pools, and running waters, with many showing strong associations with specific hydrological regimes.
Limnephilus externus
northern caddisfly
Limnephilus externus is a northern caddisfly species in the family Limnephilidae, first described by Hagen in 1861. The species has been documented in both North America and Europe. A detailed life history study in southern Alberta, Canada, revealed unique adaptations to temporary pool conditions, including egg-laying above water level and delayed larval entry into aquatic habitats. Adults emerge in August and exhibit a one-month reproductive delay.
Liodessus
Liodessus is a genus of small diving beetles in the family Dytiscidae, tribe Bidessini. Species occur across the Americas from North America through the Andes to southern South America, with notable diversity in high-altitude wetlands and páramo ecosystems. Many species inhabit shallow, exposed pools and temporary water bodies, showing phenotypic plasticity in body form correlated with habitat permanence. The genus contains numerous species, with several new species described from the high Andes of Peru and Colombia in recent years. Taxonomic resolution relies heavily on male genital morphology.
diving-beetleaquatic-insecthigh-altitudepáramoAndesphenotypic-plasticityBidessiniHydroporinaeDytiscidaeColeopterawetlandtemporary-poolpeatlandsubantarctictaxonomymale-genitaliaCOI-barcodecryptic-speciesincipient-speciationhybridizationgeometric-morphometricsenvironmental-sentineldrought-indicatorSouth-AmericaNorth-AmericaFijiNavarino-IslandMagallanesPeruColombiaChileArgentinaBoliviaBogotáJunínCuscoHuánucoCundinamarcaSumapazPunasteppepeat-bogshallow-poolpuddlealtitude-3400-4900mL.-affinis-complexL.-bogotensis-complexL.-chilensisL.-affinisL.-obscurellusL.-noviaffinisL.-saratogaeL.-picinusL.-santarositaL.-alpinusL.-hauthiL.-rhigosL.-thespesiosGuignot-1939ZimmermannSharpLeConteSaySteinheilRégimbartBiströmMillerBalkeFranciscoloSanfilippoPederzaniNilssonYoungClarkHatchMannerheimCaseyAubéBalfour-BrowneBrinckPeschetSolierWhiteZootaxaZooKeysInsect-Systematics-&-EvolutionAnales-del-Instituto-de-la-PatagoniaPLoS-ONEGBIFiNaturalistCatalogue-of-LifeNCBI-TaxonomyBOLDBarcode-of-Life-Data-SystemCOImitochondrial-DNAphylogeographypopulation-structurerange-expansionlineagegenetic-structuresubspecieslectotypeneotypesynonymynew-speciesnew-subspeciesrevisionmorphometricsallometrybody-sizebody-shapeelytrapronotumstriaecolorationpunctationhabitusoccipital-linegenital-morphologyaedeagusparamerediagnosisidentification-keytype-localitytype-specimenetymologybionomicsnatural-historygeographic-distributiondistribution-mapNearcticNeotropicalPatagoniaCape-Horn-Biosphere-Reservedroughtclimate-changeenvironmental-changesentinel-speciesplasticityadaptationphenotypic-variationhydrological-landscapewater-permanencepoolbogAltiplanoAndeanhigh-elevationmontanealpineaquaticfreshwaterlenticloticinsectbeetleAdephagaLiodessusNotostraca
tadpole shrimp, shield shrimp
Notostraca is an order of small crustaceans commonly known as tadpole shrimp or shield shrimp. The group contains a single extant family, Triopsidae, with two genera: Triops and Lepidurus. These animals are considered living fossils, with morphologically similar forms dating back to the Late Devonian approximately 360 million years ago. They inhabit temporary freshwater pools, shallow lakes, and similar aquatic environments worldwide except Antarctica.
Ochlerotatus sticticus
Ochlerotatus sticticus is a floodwater mosquito species native to the Palearctic region, with established populations in Europe and northern Asia. It is a member of the floodwater mosquito group, characterized by eggs that can withstand desiccation and hatch when inundated by rainfall or flooding. The species exhibits distinct physiological and behavioral responses to larval habitat drying that differ from co-occurring floodwater species such as Aedes vexans, suggesting specialized adaptations to temporary aquatic environments.
Spinicaudata
clam shrimp
Spinicaudata is an infraorder of small, bivalved branchiopod crustaceans commonly known as clam shrimp. They inhabit temporary freshwater pools, saline lakes, and rock holes (gnammas) across arid and semi-arid regions worldwide. The group is characterized by a laterally compressed body enclosed within a hinged, clam-like carapace. Many species produce drought-resistant resting eggs that persist in dry sediments until favorable conditions return. Reproductive modes vary, with some lineages exhibiting androdioecy (hermaphrodites with occasional males) and others gonochorism (separate sexes with ~1:1 ratios).
Triops
tadpole shrimp, shield shrimp
Triops is a genus of small branchiopod crustaceans in the order Notostraca, commonly known as tadpole shrimp or shield shrimp. The genus is distinguished by having only a pair of long, thin caudal extensions on the telson, unlike the related genus Lepidurus which bears an additional central platelike process. Some species are frequently sold as aquarium pets in dried egg kits, hatching upon contact with fresh water. In agricultural settings, particularly California rice cultivation, certain species function as early-season pests that damage germinating seedlings.