fairy shrimp

American  

noun

1. any member of the crustacean order Anostraca, characterized by an elongate trunk with more than 20 segments and the absence of a carapace, typically found swimming ventral side up in fresh water.

---

fairy shrimp British  

noun

1. any small freshwater branchiopod crustacean of the genera Chirocephalus , Artemia , etc, having a transparent body with many appendages and habitually swimming on its back: order Anostraca

---

Etymology

Origin of fairy shrimp

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

Carpets of gold, burrowing toads and fairy shrimp all depend on vernal pools—habitats that, most of the time, do not exist.

From Scientific American • May 3, 2023

They help purify surface water and provide crucial habitat for creatures such as the Sonoran Desert toad, fairy shrimp, and Wilson’s warbler.

From Science Magazine • Aug. 12, 2021

Mr. Goehring said he can’t farm on about a quarter of his property because it is considered critical habitat for a freshwater crustacean known as the fairy shrimp.

From New York Times • Jul. 22, 2018

The Spanish noun refers to the hollows in the igneous rock that, after a good rain, transform into watery cradles for tadpoles and fairy shrimp.

From Washington Post • May 16, 2018

The group is concerned about several endangered species that would be affected by prototype and actual wall construction, including the checkerspot butterfly, coastal California gnatcatcher and San Diego fairy shrimp.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 31, 2017