Daphnia magna is a small planktonic crustacean that belongs to the subclass Phyllopoda.
Daphnia magna
Abdomen with abdominal claw of a female: The two combs with a gap on the margin and the deeply nicked posterior margin are diagnostic of the species.
Dead females with ephippia in a dried pond
Female infected with Hamiltosporidium magnivora
Daphnia is a genus of small planktonic crustaceans, 0.2–6.0 mm (0.01–0.24 in) in length. Daphnia are members of the order Anomopoda, and are one of the several small aquatic crustaceans commonly called water fleas because their saltatory swimming style resembles the movements of fleas. Daphnia spp. live in various aquatic environments ranging from acidic swamps to freshwater lakes and ponds.
Anatomy of D. pulex
Female Daphnia with eggs
Resting egg pouch (ephippium) and the juvenile daphnid that just has hatched from it
Daphnia giving birth