drobinamis

Drobinamis is a fictional genus of microscopic freshwater invertebrates that appears in educational and theoretical discussions about taxonomic nomenclature. It is not an officially described taxon and has no standing in contemporary biology beyond its use as an illustrative example.

In the imagined taxonomy, Drobinamis is placed in a monotypic family Drobinamidae, within the order Drobinimorpha of the class Crustacea (phylum Arthropoda). The genus is said to include several species distinguished by subtle differences in appendage shape and segmentation.

Members are described as dorsoventrally flattened, around 0.5 to 1.2 millimeters long, with a tough, flexible cuticle. They are pictured with two pairs of antennae, a segmented thorax, and a short abdomen ending in a small telson.

Drobinamis is depicted as an omnivore of freshwater habitats, feeding on biofilm and microalgae. Reproduction is described as primarily sexual with internal fertilization in mature individuals, though parthenogenetic reproduction may occur under certain conditions in some depicted species.

The Drobinamis example is commonly cited in textbooks and online resources to illustrate rules of nomenclature—such as italicization of genus and capitalization of species epithet—and the idea that taxonomic names can be revised as understanding changes. Because it is not a real taxon, researchers do not assign it to any formal database.