The Fairy Shrimps (Crustacea: Anostraca) of Southern Africa

Compiled by M. Hamer

Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa

© Copyright of this page belongs to the author.
Yours is the access since 1st January 2000

INTRODUCTION

About 270 species of fairy shrimps are found world-wide. they are classified into eight families and about 23 genera, and inhabit temporary, fresh waters, where they feed on algae, detritus and other items filtered from suspension. Reproduction is usually sexual, and the life cycles are generally very short to accomodate the transience of their habitats. About 80% of our species are endemic to the region. More information can be found in Hamer (1999).

Species with green markers are found in South Africa; those with yellow markers are not. Synonyms are flagged with red markers.

• Introduction
• Anostraca

  Streptocephalidae

  Branchiopodidae

  Thamnocephalidae

  Artemiidae

• References

Order: ANOSTRACA

Family: STREPTOCEPHALIDAE Daday, 1910

1. Genus: Streptocephalus
   1. S. purcelli Sars, 1898

      Western Cape, Northern Cape, ENDEMIC

      
      
   2. S. dendyi Barnard, 1929

      Western Cape, Eastern Cape, ENDEMIC

      
      
   3. S. cirratus Daday, 1908

      Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, Northern Cape, ENDEMIC

      
      
   4. S. dregei Sars, 1899

      Eastern Cape, ENDEMIC

      
      
   5. S. spinicaudatus Hamer & Appleton, 1993

      Eastern Cape, ENDEMIC

      
      
   6. S. zuluensis Brendonck & Hamer, 1992

      KwaZulu-Natal, to Zimbabwe

      
      
   7. S. kaokoensis Barnard, 1929

      Namibia

      
      
   8. S. wirminghausi Hamer, 1994

      Zimbabwe

      
      
   9. S. macrourus Daday, 1908

      Free State, Gauteng, Northwest Province, Northern Cape, to Namibia, Botswana

      
      
   10. S. bidentatus Hamer & Appleton, 1993

       KwaZulu-Natal, Swazilland, Mpumalanga, to Zimbabwe

       
       
   11. S. vitreus (Brauer, 1877)

       Zimbabwe, East Africa

       
       
   12. S. cladophorus Barnard, 1924

       Gauteng, Northern Cape, to Namibia, Zimbabwe

       
       
   13. S. dendrophorus Hamer & Appleton, 1993

       KwaZulu-Natal, ENDEMIC

       
       
   14. S. papillatus Sars, 1905

       Western Cape, Northern Cape, ENDEMIC

       
       
   15. S. gracilis Sars, 1898

       Western Cape, Eastern Cape, ENDEMIC

       
       
   16. S. trifidus Hartland-Rowe, 1969

       Zimbabwe, Zambia

       
       
   17. S. proboscideus (Frauenfeld, 1873)

       Northern Cape, to Namibia, north Africa

       
       
   18. S. namibiensis Hamer & Brendonck, 1993

       Gauteng, Northern Cape, to Namibia, Botswana

       
       
   19. S. ovamboensis Barnard, 1924

       Northern Cape, to Namibia

       
       
   20. S. bourquinii Hamer & Appleton, 1993

       KwaZulu-Natal, Swaziland, ENDEMIC

       
       
   21. S. cafer (Loven, 1874)

       Eastern Cape, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Northern Province, Northern Cape, to Namibia, Zimbabwe

       
       
   22. S. indistinctus Barnard, 1924

       Mpumalanga, Northern Province, to Namibia and Zimbabwe

       
       
   
   

Family: BRANCHIOPODIDAE Baird, 1852

1. Genus: Pumilibranchipus Hamer & Brendonck, 1995
   1. P. deserti Hamer & Brendonck, 1995

      Namibia

      
      
   
   
2. Genus: Rhinobranchipus Brendock, 1995
   1. R. martensi Brendonck, 1995

      Eastern Cape, ENDEMIC

      
      
   
   
3. Genus: Genus A
   1. Genus A sp.

      KwaZulu-Natal, ENDEMIC

      
      
   
   
4. Genus: Branchipodopsis Sars, 1989
   1. B. hutchinsoni Hamer & Appleton, 1996

      Northern Cape, ENDEMIC

      
      
   2. B. natalensis Barnard, 1929

      Free State, Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal, ENDEMIC

      
      
   3. B. dayae Hamer & Appleton, 1996

      Western Cape, Northern Cape, ENDEMIC

      
      
   4. B. karroensis Barnard, 1929

      Western Cape, ENDEMIC

      
      
   5. B. kaokoensis Barnard, 1929

      Namibia

      
      
   6. B. tridens Daday, 1910

      Northern Cape, to Namibia, Botswana

      
      
   7. B. drakensbergensis Hamer & Appleton, 1996

      Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, ENDEMIC

      
      
   8. B. underbergensis Hamer & Appleton, 1996

      KwaZulu-Natal, ENDEMIC

      
      
   9. B. simplex Barnard, 1924

      Namibia

      
      
   10. B. browni Barnard, 1924

       Northern Cape, to ?Namibia

       
       
   11. B. wolfi Daday, 1910

       Lesotho, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Northern Province, Northern Cape, to Namibia, Zimbabwe, central Africa

       
       
   12. B. hodgsoni Sars, 1898

       Western Cape, Eastern Cape, ENDEMIC

       
       
   13. B. kalaharensis Daday, 1910

       Botswana

       
       
   14. B. scambus Barnard, 1929

       Eastern Cape, ENDEMIC

       
       
   15. B. barnardi Hamer & Appleton, 1996

       Lesotho, ENDEMIC

       
       
   16. B. drepane Barnard, 1929

       Namibia

       
       
   
   

Family: THAMNOCEPHALIDAE Linder, 1941

1. Genus: Branchinella
   1. B. spinosa (Milne-Edwards, 1840)

      Botswana, Europe, Rumania, Afghanistan, Siberia

      
      
   2. B. ondanguae Barnard, 1924

      Northern Province, to Namibia, Somalia

      
      
   3. B. ornata Daday, 1910

      Northwest Province, to Namibia, Botswana,

      
      
   
   

Family: ARTEMIIDAE Grochowski, 1896

1. Genus: Artemia
   1. Artemia sp.

      South Africa, Namibia

      
      

REFERENCES

Hamer, M. 1999.

Anostraca. Pp. 14-58. In: Day, J.A., Stewart, B.A., de Moor, I.J. & Louw, A.E. (eds.) Freshwater Inverebrates of Southern Africa. Crustacea I: Notostraca, Anostraca, Conchostraca and Cladocera. Water Research Commission Report TT 121/00, Pretoria.