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Lepidurus
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| Lepidurus Temporal range:
| |
|---|---|
| Lepidurus arcticus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Branchiopoda |
| Order: | Notostraca |
| Family: | Triopsidae |
| Genus: | Lepidurus Leach, 1819 |
Lepidurus is a genus of small crustaceans in the order Notostraca (tadpole shrimp). It is the larger of the two extant genera of the tadpole shrimps, the other being Triops. They are commonly found in vernal pools and survive dry periods with the help of long lasting resting eggs.

The genus contains the following species:[2]
- Lepidurus apus (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Lepidurus arcticus (Pallas, 1793)
- Lepidurus batesoni Longhurst, 1955
- Lepidurus bilobatus Packard, 1883
- Lepidurus couesii Packard, 1875
- Lepidurus cryptus D. C. Rogers, 2001
- Lepidurus lemmoni Holmes, 1894
- Lepidurus mongolicus Vekhoff, 1992
- Lepidurus packardi Simon, 1886
References
[edit]- ^ Korn, Michael; Rabet, Nicolas; Ghate, Hemant V.; Marrone, Federico; Hundsdoerfer, Anna K. (December 2013). "Molecular phylogeny of the Notostraca". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 69 (3): 1159–1171. Bibcode:2013MolPE..69.1159K. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2013.08.006. hdl:10447/83883. PMID 23973879.
- ^ Chip Hannum & Stuart Halliday. "Species descriptions". MyTriops. Archived from the original on October 6, 2011. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
External links
[edit]Lepidurus
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Lepidurus is a genus of tadpole shrimp comprising ancient branchiopod crustaceans in the order Notostraca and family Triopsidae, distinguished by a broad, flattened, shield-like carapace that covers the head and thorax, 35–70 pairs of trunk limbs used for swimming and respiration, and an elongated, segmented abdomen terminating in two long, tail-like cercopods with a supra-anal plate.[1] These "living fossils," with morphology largely unchanged for over 70 million years, typically measure 10–58 mm in length as adults and inhabit ephemeral freshwater bodies such as vernal pools and temporary ponds worldwide, from arctic regions to arid southwestern North America.[2][3]
The genus includes approximately 12 described species and subspecies, such as L. apus (widespread in Europe, North Africa, and Asia), L. packardi (endangered vernal pool specialist in California's Central Valley), L. lemmoni (common in western North America), and L. arcticus (circumpolar in cold habitats).[1][2] Taxonomically, Lepidurus differs from its sister genus Triops by the presence of a median abdominal appendage and a central keel on the caudal lamina, though the two genera rarely co-occur as adults due to overlapping but partitioned ecological niches.[3] Ecologically, Lepidurus species are opportunistic benthic feeders, consuming detritus, algae, and smaller invertebrates like fairy shrimp, while actively swimming in a face-down orientation to stir sediments.[1]
Reproduction in Lepidurus is versatile, involving amphimixis (sexual reproduction), parthenogenesis, or hermaphroditism, with females producing over 1,000 drought-resistant cysts (resting eggs) in their lifetime that enter diapause to endure drying and extreme conditions, hatching as nauplii upon reflooding—often in cooler early spring waters.[3] This adaptation enables rapid population booms in fishless, seasonal habitats but renders many species vulnerable to habitat loss, invasive predators, and climate variability; for instance, L. packardi was federally listed as endangered in 1994 due to destruction of California's vernal pool ecosystems.[2] Overall, Lepidurus exemplifies the resilience and evolutionary stasis of Notostraca, serving as key components in temporary wetland food webs and subjects of ongoing molecular and phylogenetic research to resolve taxonomic ambiguities.[1]
Taxonomic controversies persist within Lepidurus, particularly regarding the validity of subspecies such as L. apus lubbocki, which some studies treat as a distinct entity while others subsume it under L. apus due to morphological overlap.[1] Additionally, L. lemmoni has been proposed for synonymy with L. couesii based on reexamination of type material and lack of unique diagnostic characters.[14] Molecular analyses further suggest the presence of undescribed cryptic species across the genus, challenging current classifications and indicating higher diversity than the recognized ~12 taxa; recent genomic studies (as of 2022) confirm cryptic lineages, potentially warranting additional species descriptions.[16][17]
Taxonomy
Classification
The genus Lepidurus belongs to the kingdom Animalia, phylum Arthropoda, class Branchiopoda, order Notostraca, and family Triopsidae.[4] It was formally established as a distinct genus by William Elford Leach in 1819, distinguishing it from related notostracans based on key morphological traits.[4][5] The name Lepidurus derives from the Greek words lepis (scale) and oura (tail), alluding to the scaled structure of the telson, the terminal abdominal appendage characteristic of the genus.[6] Historically, early descriptions of species now assigned to Lepidurus appeared under various names, such as Monoculus apus described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, which encompassed a broad group of phyllopod-like crustaceans.[7] Subsequent revisions in the 19th and 20th centuries, including works by Longhurst (1955) and later systematists, clarified genus boundaries through detailed morphological and distributional analyses, separating Lepidurus from synonyms like Apus and refining its distinction from the congeneric Triops.[8][9] Phylogenetically, Lepidurus is one of only two extant genera in the order Notostraca, alongside Triops, forming a monophyletic clade within Branchiopoda as confirmed by molecular analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear markers. This ancient lineage traces back to the Upper Devonian, with fossil records of notostracans exhibiting similar morphologies from that period (approximately 365 million years ago), and estimates indicating divergence between Lepidurus and Triops occurred in the Mesozoic, approximately 150–250 million years ago, based on molecular and fossil data.[10][11][12] These findings underscore the "living fossil" status of Notostraca, with minimal morphological evolution over hundreds of millions of years despite significant genetic divergence.[13]Species
The genus Lepidurus comprises approximately 12 recognized species and subspecies of tadpole shrimps, distributed across temporary freshwater habitats worldwide, with the type species L. apus serving as a cosmopolitan representative.[1] These taxa are distinguished primarily by features of the carapace, supra-anal plate, telson, and caudal lamina, as detailed in key taxonomic revisions.[14]| Species/Subspecies | Author and Year | Type Locality | Distribution | Key Distinguishing Traits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L. apus (type species) | Linnaeus, 1758 | Sweden | Cosmopolitan (Holarctic, temporary pools in Europe, Asia, North America) | Smooth carapace; caudal lamina 3–4 times longer than telson with 20–100 medial spines on strong central keel; 35–40 pairs of legs.[1] |
| L. arcticus | Pallas, 1793 | Ooglamie, Alaska | Circumboreal (Arctic regions, northern Canada, Greenland) | Short supra-anal plate (7–13% of carapace length); no central keel; 41–46 pairs of legs; body rings total 26–28.[1][14] |
| L. lubbocki (often as subspecies L. apus lubbocki) | Brauer, 1873 | Lake of Sevan, Armenia | Mediterranean basin and Europe (temporary wetlands) | Caudal lamina 3–4 times longer than telson; 3–25 medial spines on weak central keel; debated as valid subspecies versus cryptic variant of L. apus.[1] |
| L. batesoni | Longhurst, 1955 | Balkhash region, Kazakhstan | Central Asia (saline temporary pools) | Caudal lamina at least twice as long as broad (length/width ratio ~2.3); elongated telson.[1] |
| L. mongolicus | Vekhov, 1992 | Gobi Desert, Mongolia | Asia (arid temporary waters) | Broadly explanate caudal lamina (length/width ratio 0.8–1.5); adapted to high-salinity conditions.[1] |
| L. packardi | Simon, 1886 | Sacramento Valley, California, USA | Endemic to California (vernal pools) | Nuchal plate with 8 dorsal spines; supra-anal plate ~20% of carapace length; ~35 pairs of legs; body rings total 27.[14] |
| L. couesii | Packard, 1875 | Montana, USA | Western North America (temporary lakes, ditches) | Strong central keel on supra-anal plate with 20–100 spines; short, broad telson; 35–40 pairs of legs; body rings total 25–27.[14] |
| L. bilobatus | Holmes, 1894 | Po Canyon, Vermillion River, Colorado, USA | Rocky Mountains region (high-altitude temporary pools) | Long abdomen with ~62 pairs of legs; slightly bilobed supra-anal plate with 4–6 dorsal spines; body rings total 32.[14] |
| L. lynchi | Longhurst, 1952 | Upper Grand Coulee, Washington, USA | Western North America (alkaline temporary lakes) | Long telson; often bilobed supra-anal plate (7–35% of carapace length); 60–71 pairs of legs; body rings total 30–34.[14] |
| L. lemmoni | Holmes, 1894 | Western USA (specific locality unclear) | Western North America (temporary alkaline waters from Alberta to Baja California) | Similar to L. couesii in leg count and telson shape; taxonomic validity debated, with some records reidentified as L. couesii.[14] |
| L. cryptus | Rogers, 2001 | Nearctic region (specifics from molecular surveys) | North America (temporary pools) | Cryptic species distinguished by molecular markers; morphological traits overlap with L. packardi and others.[15] |
| L. lynchi echinatus (subspecies/variety) | Longhurst, 1952 | Goose Lake, Oregon, USA | Western North America (temporary lakes) | Large lateral spines on carapace; 67–68 pairs of legs; body rings total 31–33; considered a variant of L. lynchi.[14] |
