Brachionus calyciflorus calyciflorus Pallas 1776
Brachionus calyciflorus, a plankton rotifer. The ligaments which hold the four eggs are clearly visible
 
Brachionus calyciflorus, another specimen; red arrowheads: muscles and nerve cells; green arrowheads: gastric glands; LT: lateral antenna; D: intestinum; B: bladder.
 
Brachionus calyciflorus, another specimen;
 
Brachionus calyciflorus, another specimen, showing the foot
 
Brachionus calyciflorus, another specimen with short spines
 
Brachionus calyciflorus, lateral view of the head showing two sensory organs: dorsal antenna and eyespot.
 
Brachionus calyciflorus, crop of above image; the dorsal antenna is expanded.
 
Brachionus calyciflorus, same specimen with retracted dorsal antenna.
 
Brachionus calyciflorus, focus plane is on the nephridial system (triangles)
 
Another variety of B. calyciflorus with long spines on the back is >>> Brachionus calyciflorus var. anuraeiformis
If the carnivorous rotifer Asplanchna is present in the water B. calyciflorus develops long spines which function as a protection because when having spinesthe animal is too bulky to be engulfed by the predator. It has been shown that the growth of the spines is induced by a substance that is produced by Asplanchna itself. An interesting topic with developmental, genetic and ecological facets.
 
Brachionus calyciflorus, malleate trophi (5)
 
Location: Gevelsberg, Grünes Klassenzimmer (pond); Ruhr-University Bochum, Germany, pond (front of IC) (5)
Habitat: Plankton (5)
Date: 22.05.2006; 12.03.2019 (5)
freshwater life
procaryota
algae
plants
protists
"worms"
molluscs
arthropods
marine life
mediterranean
tropical
misc
impresssum
plingfactory