Ephippia
"Ephippium" redirects here. For the largest genus in the orchid family Orchidaceae, see Bulbophyllum.
Resting egg pouch (ephippium) and the juvenile daphnid that just hatched from it
Winter or dry-season eggs of the various species of tiny crustacean in the order Cladocera are provided with an extra shell layer called the ephippium. The extra layer preserves and protects the egg inside from harsh environmental conditions until the more favorable times, such as spring, when the reproductive cycle is able to take place once again. Ephippia can be found attached to the back of a parent carrying them in the water, or in the soil of dried puddles, small ponds, and vernal pools.
See also
- Daphnia
- Daphnia lumholtzi (invasive species)
- Cercopagis pengoi (invasive species)
- Bythotrephes longimanus (invasive species)
- Daphnia magna (large species)
- Daphnia pulex (small, most common)
- Moina (smallest)