Daphnia

American  

[daf-nee-uh] / ˈdæf ni ə /

noun

1. a genus of tiny, freshwater crustaceans having a transparent body, used in biological research and as food for tropical fish.

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daphnia British  

/ ˈdæfnɪə /

noun

1. any water flea of the genus Daphnia, having a rounded body enclosed in a transparent shell and bearing branched swimming antennae

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Etymology

Origin of Daphnia

1840–50; < New Latin, perhaps after Daphne; -ia

Example Sentences

Scientists and engineers have discovered a method to harness Daphnia to provide a scalable low-cost, low-carbon way of removing pharmaceuticals, pesticides, and industrial chemicals from wastewater.

From Science Daily • Sep. 25, 2023

The plummeting number of Mysis shrimp could allow the Daphnia to reassert itself, increasing the clarity of Tahoe’s water, researchers said.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 1, 2022

For the estuary ecosystem, the scientists studied Inland Silverside and mysid shrimp, while in the freshwater ecosystem the scientists studied embryonic zebrafish and the crustacean Daphnia magna.

From Salon • Mar. 3, 2022

The data represented periods before, during and after a time when the lake was affected by blooms of cyanobacteria, a microbe with low nutritional value for Daphnia.

From Nature • Jan. 30, 2018

In Daphnia and Rotifers the facts are different.

From Hormones and Heredity by Cunningham, J. T.