Wednesday 30 May 2018

Freshwater shrimp




The freshwater shrimp (Gammarus pulex) is not a shrimp, although it may look like one. It is a member of a group called amphipods that includes marine sandhoppers.

Freshwater shrimps are found in well-oxygenated water that contains plenty of plant material, which is why they are often found on watercress farms.

Freshwater shrimps are small creatures, with males being up to one inch (25 cms) long and females slightly smaller. They have narrow, curved, translucent light brown bodies, their shape allowing them to crawl into small crevices.

They have seven pairs of limbs – the foremost two pairs are used for grasping and the rest for swimming. Three pairs of feathery structures on the abdomen waft oxygenated water towards the plate-like gills that are attached to the inner surfaces of the swimming legs. Freshwater shrimps swim on their sides.

Two pairs of long antennae help in locating the shrimp’s food, which is decomposing plant and animal material.

At breeding time the male grips the female from behind and the pair stay locked together for several days. After this time the female moults her shell, allowing the male to deposit his sperm before breaking away. The fertilised eggs are retained in a brood pouch between the female’s legs, eventually being released as small replicas of adult shrimps without going through a larval stage.

© John Welford

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