Tadpole Shrimps Fairy Shrimps and Clam Shrimps and Water Fleas: Branchiopoda

Twenty-eight species of fairy shrimps are listed by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Six are considered Critically Endangered or facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild; nine are Endangered or facing a very high risk of extinction in the wild. Ten are Vulnerable or facing a high risk of extinction in the wild; one is Lower Risk/Conservation Dependent, meaning if the conservation program were to end, the animal would be placed in one of the threatened categories. One is Lower Risk/Near Threatened or at risk of becoming threatened with extinction in the future, and one is listed as Data Deficient, which means there is not enough information to make a judgment about the threat of extinction. Five of the Endangered species live in the United States, three of which live in California. They are threatened by the development of land for farming, home, and business interests. Efforts are underway in California to protect the habitats of these species.

The IUCN also lists a tadpole shrimp in California, Lepidurus packardi, as Endangered. It is threatened by habitat destruction. No species of clam shrimps or water fleas are considered endangered or threatened.