[RML] What bug is this?
Bjorn Straube (straube at digital.net)
Sun, 19 Jul 1998 00:44:47 -0400
Hi everyone,
Due to the fire quenching rain (yeah :) ) we've been having,
the retention area ( "the moat" as we call it) around work
has had a few inches of water in it for the last 4-5 days.
The water has been evaporating after than accumulating for
the last couple of days, so all that was left today was a
couple of 1/2 inch deep puddles. Out of these, I collected
some interesting bugs. I'm assuming they are a FW
crustacean of some kind. They are about 1/8th to 1/4 inches
long and look like swimming clam shells. These critters
almost look like someone stuffed a full grown brine shrimp
into a transparent clam shell. Some of them have eggs
deposited inside the shell in the "hinge" and down the
side. Also they seem, like a true bivalve, to be able to
close up. They seem to be pretty hardy too, the water was
in the low to mid 90's (deg F) and I collected them by
picking them up between my fingers. While I certainly could
have crushed them, there was little danger of hurting them
on accident. I know I've seen them somewhere before, but
I'll be dammed if i can remember where :(
TIA
Bjorn