Ceriodaphnia and daphnia: A comparison of their sensitivity to xenobiotics and utility as a test species

A comparison between Ceriodaphnia sp. and other Cladoceran species including Daphnia magna and D. pulex was made in terms of their life history, geographical distribution, available acute and chronic toxicity test methods and their sensitivity to compounds. Standardized methods currently exist to conduct acute and chronic toxicity tests with C. dubia and this species has received considerable attention in North America. Reasons for this attention include the taxonomic closeness to D. magna, distribution throughout North America, relatively short duration of chronic reproductive toxicity tests (seven days), and Ceriodaphniaʹs sensitivity. Our review of the literature demonstrates the pandemic distribution of Ceriodaphnia (Europe, Asia, and North America included), the ecological importance of Ceriodaphnia species in freshwater plankton communities, and comparative acute and chronic sensitivity to a broad array of compounds and effluents. These attributes suggest that data from acute and chronic Ceriodaphnia toxicity tests can be considered equivalent to data from D. magna in environmental risk assessments and regulatory filings.