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Re:Artemia-and fairy shrimp
Jeremy wrote:
>Did I dream this or did I actually read this. Are there species of Artemia
>that live in fresh water? I swear I read something about this once but can't
>remember where. If not, maybe a similar creatur does exist that functions
>similarly (besides daphnia). I know it wouldn't exist in such an abundance
but
>maybe if cultivated properly.....
>>
There are 21 species of fresh water fairy shrimp native to North America.
Artemia is the genus name only for Artemia salina, the salt water fairy
shrimp, or brine shrimp, and possibly also for other species which occur in
salt lakes across the western US. I recently read something that implies
that shrimp from the Great Salt Lake in Nevada are of a different species
than the ones harvested in the San Fransisco Bay. In light of the vast
isolation between these two populations, speciation is a logical consequence.
This would lead to the thought that perhaps the shrimp in Mono Lake, if they
haven't already become extinct due to irrigation diversion, are also a
separate species. There are a number of other salt water bodies in the West
where Artemia hang out.
Back to freshwater fairies. The only ones I have seen live in the
northeastern area of the US. These would be difficult to cultivate, as their
eggs require a freeze cycle in order to hatch, and only live for a few weeks
during the spring melting season in wooded, seasonal wetlands. I have heard
from my brother that there is a lake in the mountains near Idaho Falls, ID
that has really huge trout in it that are uncatchable because they fatten up
on fairy shrimp all summer. I hope to check this out in the next year or
two. There are also many species that live in the south. Some can even be
found after the scant rains of the Southwest in wheel ruts left from the
Santa Fe Trail. Occasionally, I see starter cultures of a species from
Missouri being offered for sale in the classifieds of FAMA. That's all I can
offer to share with you. A little web-prowling under "Fairy Shrimp" may
produce something. If you find some, they should be easy to raise in limited
numbers indoors, or during the warm months in kiddie pools outdoors.
Bob Dixon