Overview
The Riverside fairy shrimp is an aquatic crustacean in the order Anostraca that was listed as endangered in 1993. Threats to the species include habitat loss and indirect effects from development and habitat fragmentation, as well as non-native plants, climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.
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Scientific Name
Identification Numbers
Characteristics
Physical Characteristics
Riverside fairy shrimp are half of an inch to an inch in size, with males distinguished from other fairy shrimp species primarily by a second pair of antennae.
Habitat
Riverside fairy shrimp generally live in vernal pools, and other non-vegetated ephemeral pools, that last for short periods of time.
Behavior
Riverside fairy shrimp eat algae, bacteria, protozoa, rotifers and bits of detritus and are usually observed from January to March.
Life Cycle
Individuals hatch, mature and reproduce within the window of seven to eight weeks time that rainfall fills a seasonal pool, depending on water temperature. Females carry their eggs in an oval or elongate ventral brood sac and the eggs are either dropped to the pool bottom or remain in the sac until the female dies and sinks.
Geography
Riverside fairy shrimp are found in Ventura, Riverside, Orange and San Diego counties in California. The historical distribution also extended into Los Angeles County and northwestern Baja California, Mexico.
Timeline
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