The midvalley fairy shrimp, Branchinecta mesovallensis, is a small (7–20 millimeters or 0.28–0.79 inch) freshwater crustacean in the Branchinectidae family endemic to shallow ephemeral pools (pools that seasonally fill and dry up) near the middle of California's Central Valley. These vernal pool ecosystems are home to other unique organisms adapted to the ephemeral nature of the water cycle in the pools in California's mediterranean climate.
It is one of eight known branchiopod species found only in Northern California. The species swims through the water on its back, using two stalked compound eyes to see where it is going. It propels itself along by beating its phyllopods. These are legs with leaflike or paddlelike structures. The moving phyllopods also serve as gills, extracting oxygen from the water stream they create. This places the shrimp in the Class Branchiopoda ("branchio" meaning gill, and "poda" meaning feet).
Read more about Midvalley Fairy Shrimp: Federal Protection Denied, Ecology and Description, Distribution, Threats
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