Lepidurus
Lepidurus glacialis, Illustration
- Lepidurus apus - shed tail
- Lepidurus arcticus
- Lepidurus batesoni
- Lepidurus bilobatus
- Lepidurus couesii
- Lepidurus Cryptus
- Lepidurus glacialis
- Lepidurus kirkii
- Lepidurus lemmoni
- Lepidurus lynchi
- Lepidurus mongolicus
- Lepidurus packardi
- Lepidurus patagonicus
- Lepidurus productus
- Lepidurus viridis
- Lepidurus viridulus
The genus belongs Lepidurus within the class of Branchipus or Blattfußkrebse ( Branchiopoda ) on the back damage or learning sign crayfish ( Notostraca ).
From the morphological otherwise quite similar sister genus Triops Lepidurus be distinguished by the presence of a supra- Analplatte between the branches of the furca on the abdomen ( tummy). The " resting eggs " of Lepidurus (actually encysted, so encapsulated embryos in diapause ) remain as the other Schaler back over many years to hatch and can it survive long dry periods.
The genus Lepidurus is spread worldwide, a kind - the shed tail ( Lepidurus apus) - occurs in central and southern Europe. This cancer appears in early spring and lives in water temperatures up to 15 ° C in a short period only existing ( so-called astatic ) Still waters, especially in melt water, flooding and seepage ponds within floodplains. He is as pronounced cold water and spring form ( "Spring Shield cancer " ) clearly active earlier than the thermophilic Triops cancriformis ( "Summer Shield cancer " ) and disappears as soon as the temperatures for the other type are favorable. Such a temporally structured form of habitat use minimizes the competition between the species. The habitats of Lepidurus apus - often very inconspicuous pools and puddles in meadows - are increasingly threatened by habitat destruction as surface drainage or filling.
The classification of the species as well as the subspecies is not standardized in the literature, the validity of some species is in question.