: any of a genus (Daphnia) of minute freshwater branchiopod crustaceans with a second set of antennae used for locomotion compare water flea
Examples of daphnia in a Sentence
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Tiny snails and shrimp known as daphnia eat algae and provide additional food for the fish.
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Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2024
The larvae require good water quality and eat live food, like baby brine shrimp, the tiny crustaceans daphnia, and blackworms, which the zoo staff raises.
—Don Lyman, BostonGlobe.com, 20 Apr. 2023
On the third day, the daphnia were fed to tanks of carp.
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 24 Feb. 2012
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Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2024
The larvae require good water quality and eat live food, like baby brine shrimp, the tiny crustaceans daphnia, and blackworms, which the zoo staff raises.
—Don Lyman, BostonGlobe.com, 20 Apr. 2023
On the third day, the daphnia were fed to tanks of carp.
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 24 Feb. 2012
Cite this Entry
“Daphnia.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/daphnia. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
daphnia
noun
daph·nia
ˈdaf-nē-ə 
: any of a genus of tiny water fleas with antennae used for movement
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