Ostracoda
The ostracods are one of the most diverse groups
of crustaceans, being found in marine, brackish and freshwater
environments, and some have even made it on to land. Their body is
enclosed within a bivalved shell. Their
body consists mostly of a head, and they possess fewer limbs
than other crustaceans.
Most ostracods are benthic (live on the sea bed), but a few are fully
planktonic (float in surface waters). They show a range of feeding strategies, from filter-
feeding to detritovory to predation. Below is a picture of a male
South Australian ostracod Archasterope.
Copyright Museum
Victoria.
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