The vernal pool fairy shrimp, Branchinecta lynchi, is a species of freshwater crustacean in the family Branchinectidae.

Male fairy shrimp can be identified by large antennae called claspers, which distinguish them from their female counterparts.

[13] Vernal pool fairy shrimp eat algae, bacteria, protozoa, rotifers, and detritus.

The fairy shrimp eggs, also called cysts, are also hardy enough to survive being consumed by or stuck to other creatures and deposited in another location.

[4][5][6] In December 2005, the United States Fish & Wildlife Service [14] announced the implementation of the Recovery Plan for Vernal Pool Ecosystems of California and Southern Oregon.

The organization outlines that the objectives of this recovery plan are to both ameliorate the threats that caused the species vulnerability as well as conserve the current vernal pool ecosystem.

Vernal ponds are rapidly declining in numbers due to the loss of woodland, emerging degradation and pollution, as well as the clearing of vegetation along these and other wetlands.