ostracod (seed shrimp)

This Ostracod, more commonly referred to as seed shrimp, is a crustacean that was included in a wastewater sample sent to our lab.

 

Ecologically, many ostracods are found in fresh water. As filter feeders, they feed primarily on plankton, alga, yeasts, fungi, bacteria, and detritus that can be swept by their hairy appendages. Seed shrimp are often found in in secondary clarifiers, after having been washed in by the rain.

 

What you see here is a close up of them in their shells. They seem to be able to wait out a chemical dump and other types of toxicities. So far, cupric sulfate and emulsified d-limonene seem to kill them, and we are determining the dose.

Done