Diporeia
Genus of amphipod
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Diporeia is a North American genus of freshwater amphipod that was formerly a dominant form of zooplankton in the Great Lakes.[1] Their loss in numbers is believed to be due to the presence of invasive species.
| Diporeia | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Malacostraca |
| Order: | Amphipoda |
| Family: | Pontoporeiidae |
| Genus: | Diporeia Bousfield, 1989[1][2] |
| Type species | |
| Diporeia hoyi (S.I. Smith, 1874)[2] | |
| Species[3] | |
| |
Habitat
Diporeia are most common is areas of the Great Lakes with a water depth between 30 m (98 ft) and 125 m (410 ft) deep. They remain present throughout the Great Lakes, especially in Lake Superior.[4]
Decline
The population of Diporeia began to fall rapidly in the 1990s, a decline which has continued. The species has seen major losses in all Great Lakes, with the exception of Lake Superior.[5] The decline of the species, believed to be due to invasive species of mussels, has negatively impacted the fishing industry in the Great Lakes.[6]