San Francisco Bay Brine shrimps - 2nd instar metanauplii

Commercial brine shrimps strain Artemia franciscana. These critters are widely used as live food since first instar nauplii are very small (430 microns), their hatching rate could reach 99% and are widely available, even as an invasive species, all around the world. Contrary to their Siberian counterparts, these shrimps are either male or female, being unable to breed asexually. Their adult size is about 1.5 cm, a little bit shorter in males, being easily told from females apart when fully grown for their presence of strong clasps used for hanging the female during mating (riding position).