Cyzicus tetracerus (Krynicki, 1830) |
Taxonomical Classification: Animalia / Arthropoda / Crustacea / Diplostraca / Cyzicidae |
Clam Shrimp Gamblu tal-Qoxra |
Further Information: This species has a restricted distribution in the Maltese islands and is scarce, living in temporary rainwater rock pools situated on exposed Coralline limestone. Clam shrimp are so named because of their bivalved semi-translucent carapace which folds around the body of the shrimp and hence looks like a clam. The carapace of this species is chocolate brown. They are filter-feeders and often found diving at the bottom levels of rock pools. As many most other clam shrimps, Cyzicus tetracerus have a short life- span of 2-4 weeks, are hermaphrodites and produce desiccation-resistant cysts which can survive the hot dry summer of the Maltese islands. Sometimes these cysts are translocated to neighbouring rockpools by wind in the dry season. |






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