The Life Cycle of Triops

The life span of the Triops is short. In order to complete the lives of these tadpole shrimps, they have to depend on the ever changing temperatures of temporary waters that serve as their primary habitat. During summer and fall (dry season), you can find lots of Triops eggs. During winter and spring, more rainwater will come which will soon fill up the pools. By this time, the eggs will start to hatch.

After the eggs hatch, they will begin to feed on invertebrates like the fairy shrimps. The metanauplius is the very first larval stage and at this point, the Triops are still orange in color. The Triops only has six legs and one eye during the first stage and will soon develop in the next growth stages or also called instars.

By the end of each instar, the exoskeleton will shed. The appendages and segments will increase as the Triops grow. The color will also change from orange to grayish brown. The Triops will reach their maturity in a matter of 8 days and by that time they are ready to lay eggs.

As the pool dries up, many matured Triops will die. Since the lifespan of these small creatures is for twenty to ninety days, the Triops will eventually die even if the pool does not completely dry up.

The Development of Larva (T. Longicaudatus) »