Favorite North American FW Invertebrate?

Has anyone kept any native freshwater macroinvertebrates?

Of primary interest to most aquarists - in addition to a bewildering, if underappreciated, array of aquatic insects, annelids, and mollusks - are several varieties of Crustacea. Branchiopods (fairy shrimp and Triops), once restricted to the "instant life" novelty trade, seem to be increasingly popular as aquarium specimens in their own right.

As you may well know, the southeastern United States, with 250 species in nine Cambarid genera (including not only standard stream-dwellers but also dwarfs and semi-terrestrial burrowers), comprises a global locus of crayfish biodiversity. A single Astacid genus, Pacifastacus ranges across the Pacific Northwest (even extending into a few watersheds beyond the Continental Divide).

Lesser known but equally spectacular are prawns of the genus Macrobrachium (represented in the United States by 6 species: M. acanthurus, M. carcinus, M. faustinum, M. heterochirus, M. ohione, and M. olfersii). According to Bowles, Aziz, and Knight (2000): "Most of these species are distributed among the southern states of the Gulf Coastal Plain, Mexico, and the Caribbean Islands. Macrobrachium ohione is known also from the Red River drainage in Arkansas and Oklahoma, and the Mississippi River-Ohio River drainage in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Because of their complex amphidromous life cycle, populations of Macrobrachium are vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbances such as construction of impoundments, water pollution, commercial fishing, and introductions of exotic species. Preliminary data from Mississippi and Texas support the notion that populations of river shrimps are restricted by impoundments, and populations, in general, are in decline."

North America's other freshwater Palaemonids (several species of the genus Palaemonetes commonly known as "ghost" or "glass" shrimp) are widespread from the American Midwest eastwards. Though, for the most part, these shrimp enter the aquarium hobby only as feeders, they are perhaps just as interesting as the latest Indian Caridina.

Apart from a few stygobitic relicts, North America's Atyid shrimp fauna is limited to Potimirim potimirim of the St. Lucie River (possibly introduced) and Syncaris pacifica (federally endangered) of California.

It is along the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida coast that such semi-aquatic/terrestrial crab genera as Cardisoma reach their northern extent; case in point: the "giant blue land crab" (C. guanhumi).

Interest in amphipods, isopods, and mysids is, unfortunately, rather limited.

I keep both Macrobrachium and Palaemonetes. I think I like the prawns the best.

I need to go out with somebody who knows crustaceans so I can get an education. My ignorance of the local fauna is apalling. Any good books on SE prawns/crayfish out there?

I need to go out with somebody who knows crustaceans so I can get an education. My ignorance of the local fauna is apalling. Any good books on SE prawns/crayfish out there?

In terms of field guides, none that I know of. I have, however, found this site to be a good reference.

Here's my favorite species: Macrobrachium carcinus (see http://www.fs.fed.us...ober-2003.shtml and http://www.kingsnake...umcarcinus1.JPG for additional information).

we had several crayfish with interesting patterns in our netts last weekend

Oh yeah, they were nice looking.

I have long been very interested in various leeches. One of my favorite being those in the Genus Placobdella or the turtle leeches. These are really quite facinating animals that dispite being a "worm" show a remarkable intellegence (If I may be so bold and anthropormorphic). The parental care of the Placobdella leeches is also quite remarkable and very intriguing.

brook u get out much man?

i'm worried about you

brook u get out much man?

i'm worried about you

I think and I'm sure society would agree with this...... That I'm out in the general population WAY too much
Can't help the fact I have very unique tastes in the animal life I call "pets"

I used to have some sort of leech that would reproduce in my tanks that, as far as I could tell, was completely a scavenger. They were sort of a brownish pink color and maybe 2 inches long or so when stretched out fully. They would burrow in the gravel and emerge for food. Sometimes they would get really active and swim around a lot or walk about the tank in the looping sort of way that leeches do. Also, sometimes they would attach with their tail end and undulate their bodies in the water. They were really a lot of fun to watch, and I am sad that they seem to have died out.

In those same tanks I had some nice big amphipods reproducing for a long time. I have always had a fondness for amphipods. I think they are a lot of fun to watch too (even though they are small).

I have similar leeches in one of my tanks. They are a brownish black, about 2 inches long at full length, and come out more at night, I think. They never bothered my pygmy sunfish, which would have probably been really easy to pester. I used to try to find them to get rid of them until I noticed they weren't bothering anyone. Now I think they're kind of cool. Not my favorite invert per say, but I guess they're the only ones I have at the moment.

I have similar leeches in one of my tanks. They are a brownish black, about 2 inches long at full length, and come out more at night, I think. They never bothered my pygmy sunfish, which would have probably been really easy to pester. I used to try to find them to get rid of them until I noticed they weren't bothering anyone. Now I think they're kind of cool. Not my favorite invert per say, but I guess they're the only ones I have at the moment.

Sounds like the above two leeches are one of the many Predatory forms rather than parasitic. The ribbon leech Nephelopsis is a common form of these. These leeches are mostly worm insect larvae and snail predators, However, they can be quite the scavengers also....They really are quite cool to watch hunt down a black worm or small red worm in an enclosure.

Lions and tigers and leeches, oh my!

Only in a plce like this will the love of leeches shine. The only leeches I honestly don't like are the ones attached to my flesh.
All of this leech talk does have me interested though. Could I be considering the addition of leeches to my collection?

Lions and tigers and leeches, oh my!

Only in a plce like this will the love of leeches shine. The only leeches I honestly don't like are the ones attached to my flesh.
All of this leech talk does have me interested though. Could I be considering the addition of leeches to my collection?

Yes Teleost you should add them, Should go right with your organic gardening. Your family could skip the doctor and just practice home "blood letting" for what ails you.

I would like to keep one that I could feed myself.

Sounds like the above two leeches are one of the many Predatory forms rather than parasitic. The ribbon leech Nephelopsis is a common form of these. These leeches are mostly worm insect larvae and snail predators, However, they can be quite the scavengers also....They really are quite cool to watch hunt down a black worm or small red worm in an enclosure.

That would make a lot of sense. I have a lot of Malaysian trumpet snails in that tank, as they make for an excellent clean-up crew. And both they and the leeches burrow.

Sounds like the above two leeches are one of the many Predatory forms rather than parasitic. The ribbon leech Nephelopsis is a common form of these. These leeches are mostly worm insect larvae and snail predators, However, they can be quite the scavengers also....They really are quite cool to watch hunt down a black worm or small red worm in an enclosure.

That would make a lot of sense. I have a lot of Malaysian trumpet snails in that tank, as they make for an excellent clean-up crew. And both they and the leeches burrow.

Well one thing is for sure they will never run out of food with Malaysian trumpet snails present...
Trumpet snails are not one of my overall favorite inverts if there is not something to control them. They do do one hell of a good job at keeping the substrate aerated though..

I have a pet tapeworm collection - it currently resides in my dog, "Fatty". It is best not to keep too many tapeworms in one dog because then they don't grow very large.

I have a pet tapeworm collection - it currently resides in my dog, "Fatty". It is best not to keep too many tapeworms in one dog because then they don't grow very large.

This I agree, the stocking level per dog should remain low. It would be best actually to get a good weight for the dog to make sure the tapeworms are receiving appropriate care and sufficient food. In my experiance though tape worms make pretty difficult to observe pets. The video probes and all make it really hard to enjoy them. Really except for their seperated proglottid which can be seen with out much difficulty under rather smelly conditions they are rather cryptic..

Yeehaw!