The graceful clam shrimp, Lynceus gracilicornis, is a species of clam shrimp

Clam shrimp

Clam shrimp are a taxon of bivalved branchiopod crustaceans that resemble the unrelated bivalved molluscs. They are extant, and known from the fossil record, from at least the Devonian period and perhaps before...

 found in Texas

Texas

Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...

, northern Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

 and possibly other regions in between.

Characteristics

This large clam shrimp presents a body colouration varying from orange to rose, and a dark maroon shell; the eggs carried by the female are yellow to orange. The species is distinguished from other Lynceidae members because the males have a pair of large claspers, with the right clasper being larger than the left. There are no growth marks on the carapace

Carapace

A carapace is a dorsal section of the exoskeleton or shell in a number of animal groups, including arthropods such as crustaceans and arachnids, as well as vertebrates such as turtles and tortoises. In turtles and tortoises, the underside is called the plastron.-Crustaceans:In crustaceans, the...

, as in other clam shrimp. Graceful clam shrimp swim upside down or on their side, using legs and antenna

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....

e for backward propulsion.

Ecology

L. gracilicornis is usually found in the shallow grassy parts of temporary ponds. When oxygen

Oxygen

Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...

 levels are high, some individuals may be found in deep water. Graceful clam shrimp feed on plankton

Plankton

Plankton are any drifting organisms that inhabit the pelagic zone of oceans, seas, or bodies of fresh water. That is, plankton are defined by their ecological niche rather than phylogenetic or taxonomic classification...

that they collect while swimming.

Reproduction

The male clasps the lower margin of the female's shell and swims while holding her above him. Females carry up to 200 eggs under the carapace.