cladoceran

noun

cla·​doc·​er·​an klə-ˈdä-sə-rən 

: any of an order (Cladocera) of minute chiefly freshwater branchiopod crustaceans that includes the water fleas

Examples of cladoceran in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

So there’s branchiopods, ostracods, copepods, cladocerans...and besides the crustaceans, there’s a lot more. —Christopher Intagliata, Scientific American, 3 May 2023

Word History

Etymology

New Latin Cladocera, a division of the branchiopods (from clado- clado- + -cera, borrowed from Greek -kera, neuter plural of -keros "having a horn of the kind specified," derivative of kéras "horn") + -an entry 1 — more at horn

Note: The taxon was introduced by Pierre André Latreille (1762-1833) in Georges cuvier, Le Règne animal distribué d'après son organisation, nouvelle édition (Paris, 1829), tome 4, Crustacés, arachnides et partie des insectes "par M. Latreille," p. 151. The name, literally "the ones having branched horns," refers to the water flea's branching antennae.

First Known Use

1909, in the meaning defined above