Bosmina is a genus

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 in the order Cladocera

Cladocera

Cladocera is an order of small crustaceans commonly called water fleas. Around 620 species have been recognised so far, with many more undescribed. They are ubiquitous in inland aquatic habitats, but rare in the oceans. Most are long, with a down-turned head, and a carapace covering the apparently...

. Its members can be distinguished from those of Bosminopsis (the only other genus in the family Bosminidae) by the separation of the antennae

Antenna (biology)

Antennae in biology have historically been paired appendages used for sensing in arthropods. More recently, the term has also been applied to cilium structures present in most cell types of eukaryotes....

; in Bosminopsis, the antennae are fused at their bases.

Bosmina are filter feeders consuming algae

Algae

Algae are a large and diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, such as the giant kelps that grow to 65 meters in length. They are photosynthetic like plants, and "simple" because their tissues are not organized into the many...

 and protozoa

Protozoa

Protozoa are a diverse group of single-cells eukaryotic organisms, many of which are motile. Throughout history, protozoa have been defined as single-cell protists with animal-like behavior, e.g., movement...

ns about 1–3 μm long. Bosmina are known to have a dual feeding mechanism. They can filter the water using their second and third legs and the first leg will grab the particles. The second and third legs have small setules attached to the seta to make a mesh-like structure for filtering.

Species list

• Bosmina affinis
• Bosmina arctica
• Bosmina berolinensis
• Bosmina bohemica
• Bosmina brevirostris
• Bosmina cederstroemi
• Bosmina chilensis
• Bosmina cornuta
• Bosmina crassicornis
• Bosmina curvirostris
• Bosmina diaphana
• Bosmina fatalis
• Bosmina freyi
• Bosmina gibbera
• Bosmina globosa
• Bosmina hagmanni
• Bosmina humilis
• Bosmina insignis
• Bosmina lacustris
• Bosmina liederi
• Bosmina lilljeborgi
• Bosmina lilljeborgii
• Bosmina longicornis
• Bosmina longirostris
  Bosmina longirostris
  Bosmina longirostris is a species of water flea found in the Great Lakes and Central Europe. It is found in the plankton near the shoreline of lakes and ponds....
  
  
• Bosmina meridionalis
• Bosmina microps
• Bosmina mixta
• Bosmina obtusirostris
• Bosmina procumbens
• Bosmina stuhlmanni
• Bosmina thersites