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Rotifers

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Distinguishing Features: They swim in spiral movements, have no visible eye, can have armored plates, and are transparent.

Size: 50-1,000 microns long

Swimming Behavior: Swimming using the rotation of their corona

Diet and feeding: Consume both phytoplankton and other zooplankton through filter feeding

Reproduction: Clonal and sexual

Fun Facts: Sometimes rotifers look like miniature plastic bags under the microscope. This genus is called Asplanchna.

Taxonomic Groups Observed in Seneca Lake:

  • Asplanchna

  • Keratella 

  • Kellicottia

  • Polyarthra

  • Vorticella

Fun Fact: See the Asplanchna? Do you notice anything different about the inside? It consumed Keratella!

Most Common During: Late spring through late fall

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