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Clam Shrimp

Started by Guest_iturnrocks_* , Aug 29 2007 11:53 AM

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17 replies to this topic

#1 Guest_iturnrocks_*

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Posted 29 August 2007 - 11:53 AM

I caught my clam shrimp resting this morning. Usually hes on the move or completely closed up so its hard to get a clear pic.

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Heres a couple previous pics of him on the move.

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And heres the pics from the day I collected him back in April.
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Unfortunately I only have one of these. When I netted it I thought it was an actual tiny mussel. I didnt realize until I got home that it was something even more interesting.

Im not completely sure but I believe it may be Cyzicus morsei, or something close.

The other clam shrimp i have collected had a lifespan of about 2 weeks. I intend to go back to where I collected this one to get some more samples, but its a 3 hour drive away.

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#2 Guest_farmertodd_*

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Posted 29 August 2007 - 12:24 PM

Wow Dan! This is what I love about biology. You never know it all. Going to have to do some looking for these.

This weekend I hope to return to a site where we consistently have found freshwater jellyfish in the medusa stage.

Thanks for posting!

Todd

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#3 Guest_bullhead_*

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Posted 29 August 2007 - 12:45 PM

I knew that there were freshwater sponges, but I did not know that there were jellyfish as well. Very interesting!

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#4 Guest_iturnrocks_*

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Posted 29 August 2007 - 01:07 PM

I have never seen freshwater jellyfish. The closest Ive seen is hydra in some of my invert tanks.

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#5 Guest_farmertodd_*

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Posted 29 August 2007 - 01:22 PM

I'll make sure to make an attempt in the next couple days then.

For now, check out this page: http://www.jellyfish.iup.edu/

Wow, I think I'm going to check out this page. He's updated a lot!

Todd

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#6 Guest_fuzzyletters_*

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Posted 29 August 2007 - 03:03 PM

That is nuts. Thanks so much for sharing.

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#7 Guest_bullhead_*

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Posted 29 August 2007 - 05:04 PM

Back to that clam shrimp. I have heard of clam shrimp, but I know no details. Is that shell part of the shrimp, or is something scavenged, a al hermit crabs? How big is it?

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#8 Guest_iturnrocks_*

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Posted 29 August 2007 - 09:37 PM

Back to that clam shrimp. I have heard of clam shrimp, but I know no details. Is that shell part of the shrimp, or is something scavenged, a al hermit crabs? How big is it?

The shell is part of the shrimp. The one previously shown is about 3/8" diameter shell.

In this microscope animation(60x magnification), we have a 4 day old clam shrimp that I hatched. The actual size of the image shown is 2.1 mm tall by 2.8 mm long.
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This animation plays faster than actual speed.

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#9 Guest_teleost_*

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Posted 29 August 2007 - 09:55 PM

I try not to post frivolous stuff but I'm very impressed with this creature that I was completely unaware of until today. Thanks for sharing Dan and and excellent set of photos and animation.

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#10 Guest_Irate Mormon_*

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Posted 29 August 2007 - 10:27 PM

Damn son, that's pretty interesting!

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#11 Guest_Mysteryman_*

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Posted 29 August 2007 - 11:37 PM

I've seen preserved specimens of these back in school, but never a live one. Very nifty!

Oh, and if you guys think THAT's cool, check out tardigrades! www.tardigrades.com is a whole website devoted to these little freaks of nature.

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#12 Guest_iturnrocks_*

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Posted 30 August 2007 - 07:41 AM

For comparison, here is the same shrimp at 3 days old. The dimensions of the photo are the same. They just grow really fast in their first week of life. This species has a lifespan of about 2 weeks. This animation runs closer to actual speed.
Posted Image

This animation plays faster than actual speed.

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#13 Guest_vasiliy_*

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Posted 30 August 2007 - 01:15 PM

I remember I saw an old (1960's or 1970's) book at a library somewhere. I think it was called the Field Book of Freshwater Life or Field Guide to Freshwater Life and the author's last name started with a K. It was a usefull book that talked about the biology of freshwater sponges, hydras, jelly fish, tardigrades and other microscopic things, turtles, salamanders, alligators, mussels, and, ofcourse, fish. I don't think it mentioned clam shrimp though. The book is hardcover with some photos but mostly black and white pencil illustrations (they're still useful though). It has scientific names but the general taxonomy is a little old, like grouping Ictaluridae under Cypriniformes and Pike, salmon, and shads under Clupeiformes. The book also had a section on how to collect and preserve specimens. I might sound like I'm talking about a little kid book but no, this is more advanced and it's about 1 inch thick.

I tried typing in the keywords on amazon.com but I couldn't find it. I hope I can remember the title because last time I couldn't find in the library, maybe they thought its too old but hopefully someone just checked it out. If you recall something like that please tell me what the exact title is and if there's a new edition.

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#14 Guest_bflowers_*

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Posted 31 August 2007 - 12:12 AM

I remember I saw an old (1960's or 1970's) book at a library somewhere. I think it was called the Field Book of Freshwater Life or Field Guide to Freshwater Life and the author's last name started with a K. It was a usefull book that talked about the biology of freshwater sponges, hydras, jelly fish, tardigrades and other microscopic things, turtles, salamanders, alligators, mussels, and, ofcourse, fish. I don't think it mentioned clam shrimp though. The book is hardcover with some photos but mostly black and white pencil illustrations (they're still useful though). It has scientific names but the general taxonomy is a little old, like grouping Ictaluridae under Cypriniformes and Pike, salmon, and shads under Clupeiformes. The book also had a section on how to collect and preserve specimens. I might sound like I'm talking about a little kid book but no, this is more advanced and it's about 1 inch thick.

I tried typing in the keywords on amazon.com but I couldn't find it. I hope I can remember the title because last time I couldn't find in the library, maybe they thought its too old but hopefully someone just checked it out. If you recall something like that please tell me what the exact title is and if there's a new edition.

I did come across a review of "Freshwater Invertebrates of the United States, 3d ed. Not sure if this is the one your looking for.

http://www.allbusine...-2974554-133833

Bill F.

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#15 Guest_vasiliy_*

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Posted 31 August 2007 - 02:34 PM

No, the one I read had fish in it too.

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#16 Guest_rockbassbud5_*

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Posted 31 August 2007 - 03:19 PM

At a wetland near my house you can catch thousands of clam shrimp but you olny really find them for
like a week in the early summer.

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#17 Guest_vasiliy_*

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Posted 31 August 2007 - 06:06 PM

Where do the clam shrimp go?

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#18 Guest_iturnrocks_*

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Posted 01 September 2007 - 11:43 AM

Where do the clam shrimp go?

Clam shrimp, along with fairy shrimp, and tadpole shrimp have short lifespans. They deposit their eggs (cysts) in the soil at the bottom of the pools they live in. These dessicant resistant cysts can survive the rigors of a hot, dry summer and a freezing winter and even the digestive systems of animals. When the spring rains come again, they hatch, and begin their short life cycle once more.

Note- the reason my clam shrimp was resting is that he was on his death bed. He died on Saturday, 8-31-07. He had a good life, of at least 123 days since the day I collected him as an adult. Who knows how long he may have lived before that, however, that is the longest lifespan of any branchiopod I have kept so far.