''Bosmina'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
in the order
Cladocera
The Diplostraca or Cladocera, commonly known as water fleas, are a superorder of small crustaceans that feed on microscopic chunks of organic matter (excluding some predatory forms).
Over 1000 species have been recognised so far, with many more ...
, the water fleas. Its members can be distinguished from those of ''
Bosminopsis'' (the only other genus in the family
Bosminidae) by the separation of the
antennae; in ''Bosminopsis'', the antennae are fused at their bases.
''Bosmina'' are filter feeders consuming
algae
Algae (; singular alga ) is an informal term for a large and diverse group of photosynthetic eukaryotic organisms. It is a polyphyletic grouping that includes species from multiple distinct clades. Included organisms range from unicellular micr ...
and
protozoa
Protozoa (singular: protozoan or protozoon; alternative plural: protozoans) are a group of single-celled eukaryotes, either free-living or parasitic, that feed on organic matter such as other microorganisms or organic tissues and debris. Histo ...
ns about 1–3 μm long. ''Bosmina'' are known to have a dual feeding mechanism. They can filter the water using their second and third legs and the first leg will grab the particles. The second and third legs have small setules attached to the seta to make a mesh-like structure for filtering.
Species list
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Bosmina affinis''
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Bosmina arctica''
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Bosmina berolinensis''
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Bosmina bohemica''
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Bosmina brevirostris''
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Bosmina cederstroemi''
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Bosmina chilensis''
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Bosmina coregoni''
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Bosmina crassicornis''
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Bosmina curvirostris''
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Bosmina diaphana''
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Bosmina fatalis''
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Bosmina freyi''
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Bosmina gibbera''
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Bosmina globosa''
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Bosmina hagmanni''
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Bosmina humilis''
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Bosmina insignis''
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Bosmina lacustris''
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Bosmina liederi''
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Bosmina lilljeborgi''
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Bosmina lilljeborgii''
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Bosmina longicornis''
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Bosmina longirostris
''Bosmina longirostris'' is a species of Cladocera, water flea found in the Great Lakes and Central Europe. It is found in the plankton near the shoreline of lakes and ponds.
Morphotypes
''Bosmina longirostris'' has multiple morphotypes. The mos ...
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Bosmina meridionalis''
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Bosmina microps''
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Bosmina mixta''
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Bosmina obtusirostris''
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Bosmina procumbens''
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Bosmina stuhlmanni''
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Bosmina thersites''
References
Further reading
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External links
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Cladocera
Branchiopoda genera
{{Branchiopoda-stub