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Scientific Name: Pleuroxus trigonellus (O.F. Müller, 1776)
English Name: Water Flea
Local/Bangla Name: Pani Poka (পানি পোকা)
Zooplankton : Pleuroxus trigonellus

Photo: Ian Gardiner (iNaturalist)

Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Branchiopoda
Order: Anomopoda
Family: Chydoridae
Description:
The female organism has a body with a strongly curved upper edge. There are typically 1-3 small teeth-like protrusions on the lower back corner of the shell, sometimes accompanied by tiny downward-pointing spines above them. The shell is marked with a pattern resembling polygons. The head shield extends backward with a pointed end, and the pointed rostrum points downward. The antennules reach up to the middle of the rostrum and have a sensory hair in the middle of the front edge. The antennae have varying numbers of setae: 0-0-3 on one side and 1-1-3 on the other. The labrum plate has a slightly pointed tip and a curved front edge. The simple eye is closer to the compound eye than to the tip of the rostrum. The tail end tapers gradually, with 10-14 spines near the tip and lateral hairs grouped together. The claws have hairs on the inner edge and two small spines at their base. The length of the organism is approximately 0.43 millimeters. This species reproduces through parthenogenesis when environmental conditions are favorable. The female undergoes multiple stages of growth without mating and lays batches of eggs. These eggs are kept in a special pouch on the mother’s body, where they complete their development before being released into the environment as juveniles.
Habitat & Distribution in Bangladesh:
Commonly found in rivers in Bangladesh, such as the Halda River.
Environment:
Freshwater
Main References:

Ahmed ATA, Kabir SMH, Ahmad M, Rahman AKA, Haque EU, Ahmed ZU, Begum ZNT, Hassan MA, Khondker M (eds.) (2008) Encyclopedia of Flora and Fauna of Bangladesh, Vol. 18. Part II. Arthropoda: Crustacea. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, Dhaka, 226 pp

DNA Barcodes from Bangladesh
GenBank Accession Number:
Other DNA Barcodes & Nucleutide Sequences
Global IUCN conservation status:
Other Information