Crustaceans

NAS logo - click to go to the NAS home page Crustaceans (Phylum Arthropoda, Class Crustacea) are found in marine, brackish and fresh waters. Common methods of introduction include ballast water discharge, intentional release as forage for sport fish, and accidental release from aquaculture facilities. Potential impacts include competition with, and predation on, native species. The opossum shrimp, Mysis relicta, was first introduced into Kootenay Lake, British Columbia, in 1949 and was widely stocked as a forage food for sport fish in the West. It is an opportunistic feeder with both predatorial and filter feeding habits. Dramatic changes in native zooplankton communities, including species extinctions, have been observed after opossum shrimp were introduced. After the introduction of the opossum shrimp into Flathead Lake, Montana, Daphnia longiremis and Leptodora kindti were reduced to undetectable levels while Diaptomus ashlandi declined more than 75% from previous levels.
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Data Queries and Species Lists

Crab Picture Data Queries
Species List of Nonindigenous Crustaceans
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Copepods in the Great Lakes (USGS)
Exotic plankton in large river systems (Illinois Natural History Survey)

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Page Last Modified: Tuesday, November 10, 2015

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The data represented on this site vary in accuracy, scale, completeness, extent of coverage and origin. It is the user's responsibility to use these data consistent with their intended purpose and within stated limitations. We highly recommend reviewing metadata files prior to interpreting these data.

Citation information: U.S. Geological Survey. [2017]. Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database. Gainesville, Florida. Accessed [1/24/2017].

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