Microscopic Illustrations

Colored pencil illustration of Daphnia in side view, showing branched antennae, a dark eye and eggs within its body.

Daphnia, colored pencil
Commissioned by: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

About daphnia:

Daphnia are small aquatic planktonic crustaceans. They are also referred to as water fleas. They are found in freshwater environments including swamps, lakes, ponds, streams and rivers. Most are filter feeders and ingest unicellular algae and similar small protists and bacteria.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Crustacea
Class: Branchiopoda
Order: Cladocera
Family: Daphniidae
Genus: Daphnia

Also see:

daphnia anatomy illustration

More information about daphnia:

Wikipedia: daphnia
Daphnia FAQ