Its body, which presents an obvious metamerism, is divided into three sections: head, thorax equipped with eleven pairs of appendices/fins which also have a breathing function, and abdomen which contains the reproductive organs: an egg sac in the female, and two penises of the same length in the male.

The eggs are spherical in shape and compared to other similar species found in Italy (C. kerkyrensis, C. salinus, C. sibyllae, C. diaphanous and C. ruffoi) are among the largest, with an average diameter of 0.43 mm.

In order to face up these kinds of difficulties, the Chirocephalus produce a form of resistance called cyst, inside of which the embryo is stopped at the stage of gastrulation, is isolated by a protective partition which allows it to keep its vitality until the moment when the ideal conditions for its development recreate themselves until the hatching.

The protection of the biotope is primordial because the life of the species under its adult form only goes for several months, whereas the cysts which are produced stay vital for many years if the anthropic factors do not disrupt the sediments where they build up.

The ecosystem of altitude such as the Pilate Lake one is characterized by specific climatic conditions which make it particularly vulnerable to high temperatures.