Freshwater Shrimp - Gammarus lacustris

Moved

Moved from Scuds.

… Charley Eiseman, 9 November, 2009 - 10:55am

Gammarus

These are Gammarus, certainly G. lacustris, the only species of the genus in Alberta. Very common in most lentic habitats in the province.

… Tim Loh, 9 November, 2009 - 10:48am

Moved

Moved from Amphipods.

… Charley Eiseman, 5 June, 2009 - 12:22pm

Scuds

These little freshwater Gammarid crustaceans are commonly known as scuds (sometimes "backswimmers" or "sideswimmers" for their erratic, topsy-turvy swimming motions). Although common in many freshwater environs, they often achieve extremely dense populations in alkaline, limestone-influenced watersheds. They scavenge in detritus and aquatic vegetation, and trout in cool limestone streams often feed extensively on them.

I wish that I could tell you more about the ID of your specimens, but I can only guess that they might be Gammarus.

… Lloyd Gonzales, 5 June, 2009 - 12:14pm

Gammaridae

Should all freshwater amphipods be moved to Gammaridae? I guess I just mean this one--the others are marine:

… Charley Eiseman, 5 June, 2009 - 12:18pm

Hmmm...

I think that's probably safe for the one you indicate, Charley, but the systematics of Gammaridae appear a bit messy and uncertain. Gammaridea, Gammaridae, and Gammarus all seem to have had something of a "catchall" function at various times, and I don't have a good or current reference.

… Lloyd Gonzales, 5 June, 2009 - 1:40pm

Amphipods?

I believe these are amphipods--they look just like the "sandhoppers" you see on beaches. We have a section for them, but it appears that no one here knows much about identifying them.

… Charley Eiseman, 4 June, 2009 - 9:05pm