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Common Name

Scud or Sideswimmer

Scientific Name

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Malacostraca

Order

Amphipoda

Family

Lab Storage

Feeding

Uses claws on their first two pairs of thorax legs to hold food while they chew. Omnivorous; feeds on mostly detritus but also algae, fungi, and bacteria. Sometimes eats small living organisms but prefers dead organisms.

Water Quality Tolerance

Overall somewhat tolerant. Some are restricted to cooler, cleaner, and well-oxygenated bodies of water or are sensitive to pollution.

Fact

5-20mm, not including antennae and tails. The body is strongly laterally flattened. They have two pairs of antennae of roughly equal length. For more photos, refer to our online gallery: tinyurl.com/v8m89eq

Habitat

Most commonly found in small and shallow cool streams, springs, seeps, lakes, ponds or backwaters of rivers by tangles of plants, roots, detritus and stones. Amphipoda are especially abundant in areas with a low fish population.

References

Voshell & Wright. 2002.