Temora was originally described by Scottish physician and zoologist William Baird in his 1850 work The Natural History of the British Entomostraca.

The genus was named for the palace of ancient Irish kings in James Macpherson's Ossian cycle of poems, published in the prior century.

[3] Halitemora is not currently accepted as valid, but a number of species previously included in Temora have been moved to Eurytemora:[1] Baird's original description of the genus is as follows: Head consolidated with first segment of thorax.

The abdomen has only three segments, and has a long, bifid, caudal joint, terminated by two short, stout setae, serrated on the edges.

The first joint gives off from its inner edge four long setae, each of the short ones gives off one, and the last is terminated by two or three of still greater length.The mandible and its palpilform branch are well developed, and, as well as the three pairs of foot-jaws, exactly resemble those of Diaptomus.