| All Bdelloids have ramate trophi that look like this: |
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| Trophi of Rotaria macrura, artificially colored to show the different parts. Green: rami; blue: unci; red: manubria. The thin double arrows at the right side mark the location of minor teeth; the thick double arrow marks the location of major teeth of the unci.. |
| For the identification of Bdelloids it is important to understand that concerning the thickness of the teeth of the unci two kinds kinds can be distinguished: major teeth and minor teeth. Only the number of major teeth is expressed in the so-called dental formula (DF). The upper image shows a DF or 2/2. A DF 3/4 would mean that the left uncus has 3 and the right uncus has 4 major teeth. A DF of 2+1/ 2+1 means that one of the major teeth is thinner than the others (but still thicker tha the minor teeth) as can be seen in this example. The DF is typical for certain species and some genera, so this may help to distinguish between certain genera and species. In many cases some species or genera can be excluded from others by the DF. So the DF is a very helpful tool to identify Bdelloids!. |
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| Here is a list that can be used for the first step to identify Bdelloids |
