daphnia

Thân thiện

A student observes a daphnia swimming in a drop of water under a microscope.

Definition

Noun: A daphnia is a very small, almost microscopic, freshwater crustacean. It has a rounded body protected by a clear, see-through shell. It swims in a jerky, hopping motion using its feathery, branched antennae, which makes it look like it is moving like a flea.

Usage

The word "daphnia" is used to refer to this specific type of tiny aquatic animal. It is a scientific/common name. * Scientists study daphnia to monitor water quality. * Daphnia are an important food source for small fish in aquariums and ponds. * Under the microscope, you can see the internal organs of the daphnia through its transparent shell.

Advanced Usage

• Genus Name: "Daphnia" is also the name of the genus to which these organisms belong. In formal biological contexts, it is often italicized.
  • Daphnia magna is a common species used in laboratory toxicity tests.
• Collective Reference: The word can be used in both singular and plural forms, though "daphnia" is often used as a plural (similar to "fish" or "deer").
  • A single daphnia was placed in the sample. / The tank is full of daphnia.

Variants and Related Words

• Water Flea: This is the most common English nickname for daphnia, directly describing its jumping swimming style.
• Cladoceran: This is the scientific name for the order of crustaceans to which daphnia belong.

Synonyms

• Water flea

Different Meanings

The word "daphnia" has only one primary meaning, referring specifically to this group of small crustaceans. It is not used idiomatically.

Học thuật

Noun

1. minute freshwater crustacean having a round body enclosed in a transparent shell; moves about like a flea by means of hairy branched antennae

Từ đồng nghĩa

• water flea