Characteristics of the Phylum Rotifera: Examples: Philodina, Rotaria

1. Phylum Rotifera are microscopic animals, mainly found in freshwater, rarely in marine or 3. Family Adinetidae:
parasitic. The cilia are not on trochal discs but are on the corona. Rostrum is imperfect. They are unable to
2. Body wall of Phylum Rotifera generally lacks a cuticle and thickened into stiff plates or lorica swim.
into which the head may retreat Example: Adineta
3. Anterior end with a ciliated organ called corona helps in swimming and feeding.
4. Posterior foot of Phylum Rotifera has two toes; foot with cement glands. CLASS 3. MONOGONONTA:
5. Cuticle secreted within epidermis and never moulted. 1. Females with a single ovary.
6. Digestive system with a highly muscular pharynx called mastax lined internally with cuticle and 2. Males occur in some species.
within mastax is a rigid structure or jaws called trophi used for grasping and grinding the prey. 3. Parthenogenesis common.
7. Pseudocoelomate animals. 4. Sexual dimorphism well-marked.
8. Eutelic condition is seen in Phylum Rotifera. 5. Body either naked or covered with a lorica.
9. Excretory organs are protonephridia with flame cells. The protonephridia function in 6. Mastax mostly grinding type but not as in the bdelloids.
osmoregulation.
10. Nervous system includes cerebral ganglion with longitudinal nerve cords. The class is divided into three orders:
11. Sexes in Phylum Rotifera are separate (gonochoristic). (1) Ploima
12. Parthenogenesis is largely present in Phylum Rotifera. (2) Flosculariacea and
13. Spiral cleavage. (3) Collothecacea.
14. No larval stage in the life cycle.
Order 1. Ploima:
CLASS 1. SEISONIDEA: 1. The posterior foot with two toes.
1. Elongated body with reduced corona. 2. Body with or without a lorica and sometimes sac-like.
2. Lateral antennae and toes absent. 3. The ciliated disc acts as locomotor organ.
3. Males fully developed and with little sexual dimorphism. 4. The tail is usually forked and retractile.
4. Gonads paired in both sexes. 5. Mostly free-swimming.
5. Ovaries without vitellaria.
6. Epizoic marine rotifers. It includes the following families:
Example: Single genus Seison. 1. Family Notommatidae:
Cilia may be arranged uniformly on the corona or may form a ring-like around the corona. Most
CLASS 2. BDELLOIDEA (DIGONONTA): rotifers are either illoricate or with a fragile lorica. The foot bears two toes. The trophi is virgate
1. Anterior end retractile and usually with two trochal discs. type.
2. Mastax adapted for grinding with ramate trophi. Example: Scaridium
3. Cylindrical body with very small, forked tail. 2. Family Synchaetidae:
4. Ovaries with vitellaria. The conical shaped bodies bear either literal appendages or three to four sensory bristles. Foot
5. Males are absent. may be present or absent. The trophi is of virgate type.
6. Parthenogenesis only. Examples: Polyarthra, Synchaeta
7. Creeping movements by the contractile body. 3. Family Asplanchnidae:
Rotifers are pelagic, flattened sac-like bodies. Corona has only one circumapical plate. Foot is
It includes the following families: without toes. The mastax is of incudate type.
1. Family Habrotrochidae: Example: Asplanchna
Trochal discs are present. Corona can be retracted into mouth Oviparous. 4. Family Brachionidae:
Example: Habrotrocha They are freshwater animals and having a broad and flattened body. The foot is ringed with two
2. Family Philodinidae: toes in some (e.g., Brachionus) but absent in Keratella. The mastax is malleate or submalleate
Body is divided into several segments. The foot is retractile. The corona has trochal discs which type. Other examples are Epiphanes, Macrochaetus, etc.
look-like two wheels. The members are oviparous or viviparous. 5. Family Coluridae.
Example: Colurus C. Affinities with Platyhelminthes:
6. Family Lecanidae. Similarities:
Example: Lecane (i) Primitive type of corona may have been derived from a complete or ventral ciliation in
turbellarians.
Order 2. Flosculariacea: (ii) Formation of trophi is also common in turbellarians.
1. Some are free swimming and the rest are sessile. (iii) The protonephridial system with flame cells is identical with that of rhabdocoels.
2. Foot is without toes. (iv) The retrocerebral organ is probably homologous with the frontal organs of turbellarians.
3. Many sessile species live in protective tubes.
4. The larger bodies are provided with lobed corona. Dissimilarities:
Examples: Lacinularia, Sinantherina, Floscularia, Hexarthra, Testudinella. (i) Presence of an anus in rotifers.
(ii) Lack of sub-epidermal continuous muscles.
Order 3. Collothecacea: (iii) Lack of epidermal nerve plexus.
1. They are sessile rotifers with funnel- shaped anterior end. Remark:
2. Corona is large and the mouth is situated at its centre. The above resemblances do not suggest that they are closely related to turbellarians than that of
3. The margin of the infundibular corona is lobed and is provided with long bundles of setae other groups. The study of development of rotifers suggests that they are of primitive forms, not a
4. The mastax is of uncinate type. degenerate group.
Examples: Collotheca, Stephanoceros.
D. Affinities with Nematoda:
Affinities of Phylum Rotifera: Similarities:
Since their discovery, rotifers have a very uncertain systematic status. Rotifers exhibit superficial (i) A syncytial epidermis.
similarities with many invertebrate groups, namely Arthropoda, Annelida and Platyhelminthes (ii) Pseudocoelomic body cavity in both cases.
(iii) Presence of a gut with mouth and anus.
A. Affinities with Arthropoda: (iv) Lacking a circulatory system in both cases.
Resemblances: (v) Cleavage determinate type in both.
(i) Body covered by a cuticle. (vi) No larval stage in the life cycle.
(ii) Superficial metamerism.
(iii) Presence of two jaws (trophi) • Class Monogononta
(iv) Movable bristle bearing arms of pedalia suggest the appendages of a crustacean larva. It is the largest group of rotifers, containing about 1,500 species.
Remark: • Class Bdelloidea
As the similarities are superficial, that the relationship can’t be drawn. It is the second-largest group, and contains about 350 species of rotifers.
• Class Seisonidea
B. Affinities with Annelida: This group contains only 2 primitive species of rotifers.
The annelidan relationship of rotifers as advocated by Hatschek (1878) is based on structural
resemblance between Trochophore larva of annelids and a peculiar rotifer, Trochosphaera. The Some species consist only of females that produce their daughters from unfertilized eggs, a type
ciliary girdle bent intestine and excretory organs of Trochosphaera are similar to the corresponding of reproduction called parthenogenesis. In other words, these parthenogenic species can
parts of trochophore. develop from an unfertilized egg, asexually. Other species produce two kinds of eggs that develop
Remark: by parthenogenesis: one kind forms females and the other kind develops into degenerate males
For the above resemblances Hatschek propounded his fa­mous ‘Trochophore theory’ that cannot even feed themselves (sexual dimorphism). These individuals copulate resulting in a
which proposes that living rotifers are closely related to the ancestral Mollusca, Annelido and fertilized egg developing within the rotifer. The males survive long enough to produce sperm that
certain other groups. The annelid theory concludes that the rotifers are simply annelids that have fertilize eggs, which then form resistant zygotes that can survive if the local water supply should
re­mained in a larval condition. dry up. The eggs are released and hatch in the water. If the egg develops in the summer, the egg
But this theory fails because Trochosphaera is merely a peculiar rotifer with a modified may remain attached to the posterior end of the rotifer until hatching.
girdle-type corona. It is assumed that such similarities are regarded as a case of coincidence
without having any phylogenetic significance.
Seisonidea examples (Seison)
• Both species have a head, a long and narrow telescopic neck, a ventrallybent trunk, and a
foot with several pseudosegments and ending in an adhesion disc. They live on the
surface of leptostracan crustaceans (e.g. Nebalia bipe)
• S. nebaliae lives on the entire surface ofthe crustaceans, whereas S.annulatus seems to
prefer the gills of the thoracopods below the car-apax. Ultrastructural findings indicate
that S.annulatus feeds on haemolymph of the host,whereas S.nebaliae feeds on bacteria
Philodina roseola
• Although this species is often found together with the green algae Haematococcus
pluvialis (the mature aplanospores of this algae are bright red) and P. roseola has a bright
red or orange stomach, this critter seems not to feed on this alga, but on other unicellular
green algae such as Oocystis sp.. Philodina roseola may be easily confused with
Abrochtha intermedia, because of similar apearance (also red stomach, orange cerebral
eyespots, acute spurs).
• Although this species has a red stomach, the diet of this critter is green algae (like
Oocystis sp.) or cyanobacteria (like Croococcus sp. and Nostoc linckia).
or contracted bodies. Metabolic processes slow down to the point where they are nearly
undetectable, effectively preserving the organism until conditions become favorable again.
When environmental conditions improve, such as with the return of moisture, rotifers can
rehydrate and resume normal metabolic activity, emerging from cryptobiosis to continue their life
cycle.
SEXUAL DIMORPHISM
Sexual dimorphism in rotifers refers to the phenomenon where males and females of the
same species exhibit noticeable differences in their physical characteristics beyond their
reproductive organs. While many rotifers are primarily hermaphroditic (possessing both male and
female reproductive organs), some species have separate sexes, and sexual dimorphism can be
observed in these species.

LIFE CYCLE OF MONOGONT

• Fig. 1. Life-cycle of monogonont rotifers where parthenogenesis and bisexual
reproduction alternate.
• The ‘parthenogenetic cycle’ provides amictic eggs that are diploid (2N) and hatch into
amictic females that provide several parthenogenetic generations without the
development of meiotic gametes.
• After an environmental stimulus for mixis mictic females develop and start a ‘sexual cycle’
that contains mictic haploid (1N) eggs that hatch into males if unfertilized, whereas
fertilized eggs become dormant (=resting eggs) and can overwinter (meiotic gametes are
developed for a few generations under suboptimal conditions).

SEXUAL DIMORPHISM IN MONOGONT

CRYPTOBIOSIS
Cryptobiosis is a state of suspended animation or dormancy in which metabolic activity is
almost completely halted, allowing organisms to survive extreme environmental conditions such
as desiccation, freezing, or extreme temperatures. Rotifers are known for their ability to enter
cryptobiosis as a survival strategy when faced with unfavorable environmental conditions.

During cryptobiosis, rotifers undergo significant physiological changes. They may lose
water from their bodies and shrink to dehydrated forms called tun, characterized by tightly coiled