Cladocerans

Cladocerans comprise a small (ca. 700 exant species) order of crustaceans and are thus related, albeit distantly, to other crustacean arthropods such as copepods, shrimp and crabs. Daphnia are a familiar genus of freshwater cladocerans. Below are some cladocerans common in the plankton assemblages of Mid-Atlantic coastal waters.