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Alona bicolor
Alona bicolor
Alona bicolor Alona bicolor
Phylum Arthropoda
Subphylum Crustacea
Class Branchiopoda
Suborder Cladocera
Family Chydoridae
 
Ecology and Behavior
Characteristics
  • Postabdominal claw with one basal spine
  • Anal groove of postabdomen completely edged by groups of spinules
  • The middle setae of the lateral fascicles are the longest in the group
  • Shell color amber with at least the brood chamber being colorless or faintly amber
  • Rostrum long, generally projecting beyond the tips of the antennular setae
  • Ocellus larger than the eye
  • Prominent rounded notch in the labrum
Similar Species
  • Alona bicolor forms a compact species group with Alona costata and Alona rustica, and is commonly found with either one or both of the other two species (2).
Geographic Distribution
  • New England, though its range may extend to Quebec and New Brunswick (2).
Reported Habitats
  • Clear softwater lakes in the vicinity of clean granite boulders or sand (2).
Additional Pictures
     
References

(1) FREY, D.G. 1965. Differentiation of Alona costata Sars from two related species (Cladocera, Chydoridae). Crustaceana. 8: 159-173.

(2) FREY, D.G. 1969. Further notes on Alona bicolor Frey, 1965 (Cladocera, Chydoridae), with a description of the male. Trans. Amer. Microsc. Soc. 88: 380-386.