Family Leptodoridae

Leptodora kindti(Focke, 1844)

Leptodora kindtii was collected in the open waters of medium-sized to large lakes. Specimens were collected from May through October at depths of 8 m to the surface. Water temperatures ranged from 15° C to 28° C. Conductivity was 625 mS/cm at Shuswap Lake, 100 mS/cm at Mabel Lake and 90 mS/cm at Peachland Lake. Acid sensitive below pH 5.2 (Sierszen and Frost, 1993), L. kindti is common from pH 5.6 to 9 (Berzins and Bertilsson, 1990).

Reaching sizes greater than 10 mm, this distinctive species is the largest of all cladocerans. L. kindti is a voracious predator feeding on rotifers, copepods and cladocerans. A feeble swimmer, it uses its prehensile legs to grasp prey as it passes by rather than actively seeking it (Cummins et al., 1969). Because of its large size, L. kindti is particularly vulnerable to predation by planktivorous fish (Balcer et al., 1984; Carter et al., 1980). It avoids predation by migrating to deeper depths during daylight, where low light intensities impede the vision of it's predators.

Widespread and common throughout the Northern Hemisphere, its absence in any lake may be related to the presence of planktivorous fish rather than unsuitable environmental parameters (Carter et al., 1980). L. kindti is usually restricted to open waters, rarely occurring near shore.

L. kindti is morphologically unique from all other cladocerans: the head is elongate and slender; the large transparent body bears six pairs of prehensile legs and a pronounced dorsal brood sac; the elongated abdomen is divided into three segments; the post abdomen is not reflexed; the rami of the enlarged second antennae are four segmented and heavily setose.

Collection Localities: Chain Lake 983-55-2,983-166-2,983-167-1,983-168-1; Link Lake 983-672-1; Peachland Lake 992-79-4; Mabel Lake 994-205-6; Nicola Lake 983-820-3,983-820-5,983-821-1,983-822-1,983-828-1,983-836-1; Shumway Lake 983-1020-1; Ruth Lake 983-991-1; Shuswap Lake 976-1204-1,994-150-1,994-149-3; Birch Lake 983-105-1,994-224-2.

Cladocerans of the Thompson-Okanagan Region  
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