Anostraca

Anostraca is on of the four orders of crustaceans that compose the class Branchiopoda, the members of this order are more commonly referred to as "Fairy Shrimp". They swim upside-down and feed by filtering organic particles from the water or by scraping algae from surfaces. They are typically found in vernal ponds and hypersaline lakes (landlocked lakes that contain high levels of sodium chloride and other salts, these saline levels pass that of ocean water) as well as deserts and colder regions such as ice covered mountains. They are an important food source for many birds and fish, and some are cultured and harvested for use as fish food in many regions. There are 300 species spread across 8 families.

Taxonomy

Fairy Shrimp Taxonomy

	Kingdom	Phylum	Subphylum	Class	Subclass	Order
Classification	Animalia	Arthropoda	Crustacea	Branchiopoda	Sarsostraca	Anostraca