Genus Cytherissa Sars, 1925
Superfamily: Cytheroidea Baird, 1850
Family: Cytherideidae Sars, 1925
One species has been reported from Japan:
1. Cytherissa lacustris (Sars, 1863)
Left side view (top) and dorsal view of Cytherissa lacustris, length 0.9 mm. Many specimens from Lake Biwa are heavily encrusted with a thick, brown layer.
External view of a female left valve of Cytherissa lacustris, length 922 microns.
External view of a female right valve of Cytherissa lacustris, length 912 microns.
- Additional figures in: Meisch 2000; Smith & Janz 2008.
- Habitat: Found below 25 m in Lake Biwa. Typical species of cooler parts of lakes.
- Mode of life: Benthic.
- Reproduction mode: Asexual in Japan and most other areas. Males only known from Lakes Baikal and Hovsogul.
- Known distribution: Lake Biwa, Shiga Prefecture (Smith & Janz 2008). Elsewhere, Eurasia and North America (Meisch 2000).
- References:
- ⚬ Meisch, C. 2000. Freshwater Ostracoda of Western and Central Europe. In: Schwoerbel, J., Zwick, P., (Eds.), Süßwasserfauna von Mitteleuropa 8/3. Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Heidelberg, Berlin 522 pp.
- ⚬ Smith, R. J. & Janz, H. 2008. Recent species of the Family Candonidae (Ostracoda, Crustacea) from the ancient Lake Biwa, Central Japan. Journal of Natural History, 42, 2865 - 2922.