I think they probably are Ostracods or "seed shrimp"
Regards,
Bruce.
Bruce Hansen, A.N.G.F.A., Advancing Australian Aquatics.
Bruce Hansen, ANGFA, caring for our aquatic ecosystems.
Please visit us at http://www.ozemail.com.au/~fisher/angfa.htm
-----Original Message-----
From: Bjorn Straube <straube at digital.net>
To: RML <rainbowfish at pcug.org.au>
Date: Sunday, 19 July 1998 14:48
Subject: [RML] What bug is this?
> 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
>
>