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Vernal Pool Inhabitants

Started by Guest_truf_* , Jan 12 2008 11:29 PM

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#1 Guest_truf_*

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Posted 12 January 2008 - 11:29 PM

Today, I found fairy shrimp in a vernal pool in SW Ohio. I had no idea that we had shrimp in Ohio! :blink:

These are really interesting little creatures. They are reddish to pink or grayish and anywhere from 1/4" to 1" long. Here are a few pics....

This is one of the vernal pools in which the Fairy Shrimp were captured:

2008_0112fairyshrimp0018.JPG 154.15KB 6 downloads

This is a closeup of the Fairy Shrimp in their natural habitat:

2008_0112fairyshrimp0017.JPG 101.15KB 6 downloads

Some macro shots....maybe someone can ID?

2008_0112fairyshrimp0024_a.jpg 31.1KB 4 downloads

The following two pics MAY be a different species....
A gravid female:

2008_0112fairyshrimp0027_a.jpg 62.08KB 5 downloads

2008_0112fairyshrimp0028_a.jpg 29.99KB 4 downloads

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#2 Guest_iturnrocks_*

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Posted 13 January 2008 - 12:36 AM

The color generally comes from the algae they are eating. IDs are generally made in a laboratory with the help of a microscope. Im currently looking at a key to Branchiopods in the US and they compare things like frontal appendages, antennal appendages, and labrums. If I had to guess from the pictures in this book, I would say you have Eubranchipus vernalis, and not just because its common name is Ohio Fairy Shrimp. I came to that conclusion before I saw the common name.

The following two pics MAY be a different species....

The first pic is a female, the second a male. Although that males "horns" do look kinda strange to me, but then I havent seen that species before.

Here is a pic of a male Thamnocephalus platyurus. Note the "horns"

Posted Image

They are actually antennal appendages, but since they swim upside down, I think they look like rams horns. Although the "horns" of Streptocephalus species look really alien.

Im just shocked that you are still finding them alive at this time of year. I may have to head back out to do some searching.

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#3 Guest_truf_*

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Posted 13 January 2008 - 11:36 AM

Thank you,
That was very helpful. I knew absolutely nothing about these things until yesterday. :oops:

I've been doing a little reading, and have grown an appreciation for not only Fairy Shrimp, but vernal pools in general. I am going to go out and see if I can locate more of these micro-wetlands around this area!

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#4 Guest_iturnrocks_*

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Posted 13 January 2008 - 03:14 PM

One of the coolest things is how they relocate to different areas. Their eggs can survive the digestive system of birds, so they could potentially be at any pools that birds can go. Another thing, the eggs can survive years with no water or even longer if frozen. Some species have been found active under ice in Canada.

And of course, most fish find them tasty, which is why they are usually found in fishless, temporary pools.

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#5 Guest_truf_*

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Posted 13 January 2008 - 11:03 PM

One of the coolest things is how they relocate to different areas. Their eggs can survive the digestive system of birds, so they could potentially be at any pools that birds can go. Another thing, the eggs can survive years with no water or even longer if frozen. Some species have been found active under ice in Canada.

And of course, most fish find them tasty, which is why they are usually found in fishless, temporary pools.

Iturn,
I noticed in some of your earlier posts on Fairy Shrimp, you were apparently able to raise a colony of them. Can you describe how this is done?
-Thom

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#6 Guest_iturnrocks_*

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Posted 13 January 2008 - 11:06 PM

Can you describe how this is done?

You collect soil from a dry pool and add distilled water. I usually go with about a tablespoon of soil and a quart of water.

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#7 Guest_truf_*

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Posted 14 January 2008 - 12:17 AM

You collect soil from a dry pool and add distilled water. I usually go with about a tablespoon of soil and a quart of water.

No, I mean what do you feed them to raise them to adulthood, and can you sustain them from one generation to the next? I've read that they can be scavengers, eating whatever dead organisms are present, so does fish food work? Also, do the eggs have to dry out or will they keep hatching as long as there is water? I haven't been able to find an article dealing with actually sustaining a colony of them. If anyone knows of a step by step procedure, please let me know.

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#8 Guest_iturnrocks_*

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Posted 14 January 2008 - 08:51 AM

I generally dont feed my fairy shrimp, but then I dont keep large quantities in small containers.

In the wild, fairy shrimp feed on algae, bacteria, protozoa, rotifers and detritus. The biggest food problem with fairy shrimp in captivity is overfeeding. Decaying matter will foul the water very quickly and kill them off.

Since fairy shrimp are filter feeders, using a filter may steal all of their food. The best bet if you want to feed them is green water.

You make green water in a separate container by adding some fish food to water and adding lots of light, sunlight works best, but 24 hour lighting will grow it faster. Starting with established water should speed up the process.

Have to go to work, will answer more later.

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#9 Guest_iturnrocks_*

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Posted 20 March 2008 - 10:48 PM

I just wanted to give you an update. After researching Eubranchipus for a paper Im writing, I have determined that the fairy shrimp you have in Ohio are most likely Eubranchipus neglectus. As for the common name for E. vernalis being Ohio fairy shrimp, I've also seen it named Eastern Fairy Shrimp and Springtime Fairy Shrimp. It was probably dubbed Ohio fairy shrimp in Ohio before the paper listed below was published. Im sure the term Ohio Fairy Shrimp would most likely be one of many regional names for E. neglectus now.

Denton Belk; Graziella Mura; Stephen C. Weeks. Untangling Confusion between Eubranchipus vernalis and Eubranchipus neglectus (Branchiopoda: Anostraca). Journal of Crustacean Biology, Vol. 18, No. 1. (Feb., 1998), pp. 147-152.

Our study of the distributions of E. neglectus
and E. vernalis shows that they have
nonoverlapping areas of occurrence separated
by the Appalachian Mountains (Fig.
12). All verified records of E. vernalis were
east of the Appalachians, from Connecticut
south to Columbia, South Carolina. All verified
records of E. neglectus were confined
to the area between the western slope of the
Appalachian Mountains and the Great Plains
from Ontario in Canada south to northern Alabama
in the United States, and as far west
as Arkansas.
Our study of specimens collected throughout
eastern North America reveals that the
Appalachian Mountains separate the ranges
of Eubranchipus neglectus and Eubranchipus
vernalis.

Edited by iturnrocks, 20 March 2008 - 11:00 PM.

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#10 Guest_nativeplanter_*

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Posted 21 March 2008 - 09:47 AM

I've been thinking for quite some time - why do people use baby brine shrimp instead of fairy shrimp? It seems like care would be similar, except without having to deal with salt?

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#11 Guest_iturnrocks_*

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Posted 21 March 2008 - 11:17 AM

why do people use baby brine shrimp instead of fairy shrimp?

I believe it is because of reproduction. Brine shrimp are constantly reproducing. Most fairy shrimp require a dry cycle in between generations. Occasionally some fairy shrimp eggs will hatch without the dry cycle depending on conditions of the pool they are in. But I believe you get much larger numbers with brine shrimp.

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#12 Guest_scottefontay_*

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Posted 21 March 2008 - 12:18 PM

I believe it is because of reproduction. Brine shrimp are constantly reproducing. Most fairy shrimp require a dry cycle in between generations. Occasionally some fairy shrimp eggs will hatch without the dry cycle depending on conditions of the pool they are in. But I believe you get much larger numbers with brine shrimp.

instigating a dry cycle would would be a hindrance in sustaining a culture for sure...

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#13 Guest_mikez_*

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Posted 21 March 2008 - 01:32 PM

I would say the availability of eggs on the pet store shelves might play a role.

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#14 Guest_iturnrocks_*

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Posted 21 March 2008 - 02:02 PM

Once I get some of these eggs, the tables might turn

Posted Image

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#15 Guest_nativeplanter_*

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Posted 21 March 2008 - 02:04 PM

I would say the availability of eggs on the pet store shelves might play a role.

Well... that was my point... why aren't these eggs sold...?

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#16 Guest_smbass_*

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Posted 21 March 2008 - 02:07 PM

If you could manage to devise a way to harvest eggs and dry them so they are ready to be hatched I think you would get a few customers off of here including myself, those things look like great sunfish food...

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#17 Guest_mikez_*

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Posted 21 March 2008 - 04:24 PM

Once I get some of these eggs, the tables might turn

Holy Smoke! What the heck is that thing?
I've never seen anything like that before. Does that live in vernal pools?

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#18 Guest_Newt_*

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Posted 21 March 2008 - 04:29 PM

Here's an earlier thread about them.

http://forum.nanfa.o...?showtopic=2770

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#19 Guest_rick_*

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Posted 21 March 2008 - 07:00 PM

Wow! The few fairy shrimp I've seen around here are about the size of your thumbnail! That thing is as big as a Blue Spotted Sunfish.

Rick

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#20 Guest_critterguy_*

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Posted 28 March 2008 - 12:16 AM

Yeah...BS produce floating eggs...whereas fairy shrimp produce sinking ones.

Also, I've heard that fairy shrimp have very little nutrition in them as shown by studies comparing fish growth.

Brine shrimp are surprisingly prolific in 5 gallon buckets. Thats why they can sell them as sea monkeys and claim they will give you tons of adorable babies. :laugh: