It may extend further south in mountainous areas of the East, but appears to be absent from the far western United States.

This species is the smallest calanoid in the Great Lakes, only Leptodiaptomus ashlandi may overlap its size range.

One might determine that the lateral spine on leg 5 of L. minutus is located more in the middle portion of the terminal segment.

Leptodiaptomus minutus are known prey items for a number of native and non-native Great Lakes fishes.

Remains have been found within gut-contents of Mysis diluviana[3] and are trophically below Limnocalanus macrurus.