Branchinella is a genus of crustaceans in the family Thamnocephalidae. This fairy shrimp genus is found across many parts of the world, but especially western Australia and southern Africa.
Several species have small ranges and are threatened by habitat destruction. For example, B. latzi is only known from south Northern Territory and southwest Queensland, but it has been extirpated from the Uluru region due to pollution from urine and faeces of tourists.
The species Branchinella kugenumaensis are known as "Honen shrimp" (ホウネンエビ) in Japan, and are commonly found in rice fields during the early summer.
Selected species Branchinella includes the following species:
Branchinella acacioidea Belk & Sissom, 1992 Branchinella affinis Linder, 1941 Branchinella alachua Dexter, 1953 Branchinella apophysata Linder, 1941 Branchinella arborea Geddes, 1981 Branchinella australiensis (Richters, 1876) Branchinella basispina Geddes, 1981 Branchinella buchananensis Geddes, 1981 Branchinella chudeaui (Daday, 1910) Branchinella compacta Linder, 1941 Branchinella complexidigitata Timms, 2003 Branchinella denticulata Linder, 1941 Branchinella dubia (Schwartz, 1917) Branchinella frondosa Henry, 1924 Branchinella halsei Timms, 2003 Branchinella hardingi (Qadri & Baqai, 1956) Branchinella hattahensis Geddes, 1981 Branchinella kadjikadji Timms, 2003 Branchinella kugenumaensis (Ishikawa, 1895) Branchinella latzi Geddes, 1981 Branchinella lithaca (Creaser, 1940) Branchinella longirostris Wolf, 1911 Branchinella lyrifera Linder, 1941 Branchinella madurai Raj, 1951 Branchinella mcraeae Timms, 2005 Branchinella minuta Rœn, 1952 Branchinella multidigitata Timms, 2008 Branchinella nana Timms, 2003 Branchinella nichollsi Linder, 1941 Branchinella occidentalis Dakin, 1914 Branchinella ondonguae (Barnard, 1924) Branchinella ornata Daday, 1910 Branchinella papillata Timms, 2008 Branchinella pinderi Timms, 2008 Branchinella pinnata Geddes, 1981 Branchinella proboscida Henry, 1924 Branchinella simplex Linder, 1941 Branchinella spinosa (Milne-Edwards, 1840) Branchinella sublettei Sissom, 1976 Branchinella thailandensis Sanoamuang, Saengphan & Murugan, 2002 Branchinella vosperi Timms, 2008 Branchinella wellardi Milner, 1929
Some related fairy shrimp, such as Phallocryptus wrighti, were formerly placed in Branchinella.
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