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How do anomopods differ from ctenopods in their feeding habits?
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Within the suborder Cladocera, the infraorders Ctenopoda and Anomopoda differ primarily in their range of feeding strategies:
- Ctenopoda: Members of this infraorder are exclusively filter feeders. They possess six pairs of trunk limbs, five of which are equipped with filters used to collect food particles from the water.1
- Anomopoda: While some species within this group are filter feeders, others function as scrapers. Additionally, this infraorder exhibits more diverse ecological roles, including at least one genus, Anchistropus, which is parasitic on Hydra.1
Both groups are characterized as short-bodied branchiopods with a bivalved carapace that encloses the trunk but leaves the head exposed.1