Rotifers as parasites |
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Albertia sp., an endoparasite of Oligochaetes (Nais sp.) |
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Ascomorphella volvocicola, lives as an endoparasite in the alga Volvox. |
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Cephalodella catellina volvocicola, lives as an endoparasite in the alga Volvox. |
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Cephalodella edax, lives as an endoparasite in the chrysophyte alga Uroglena volvox |
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Cephalodella parasitica, an ectoparasite on oligochaetes like Stylaria lacustris or Nais sp |
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Some bdelloid rotifer species are living in the cells of Sphagnum moss. For instance Habrotrocha roeperi (which is depicted in the above image) lives in the retort cells of Sphagnum , whereas Habrotracha reclusa lives in the hyalocytes. Some authors consider this behavior as space parasitism, as well as the behavior of the Bdelloid Mniobia symbiotica, which lives in the lobules of the liverwort Frullania. |
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Rotifers infested by parasites |
Both taxonomic groups of freshwater rotifers, the Monogononta and the Bdelloids may be infested by parasites. While the monogonont rotifers have the chance to escape in the liquid water body of ponds and lakes the bdelloid rotifers, most of which live a thin film of water in mosses or soil, have a different strategy: it seems that they can escape by desiccation. |
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Monogonont rotifers |
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Brachionus angularis; 1. infested by the fungus Zoophagus; additionally some Euglenid flagellates (>> Colacium sp.??) have colonized on ther integument. |
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Brachionus quadridentatus; infested by the Bertramia asperospora (Plistophora asperospora) |
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Bryceella stylata (arrows) |
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Cephalodella bryophila(arrows) |
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Colurella sp. (arrow) |
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Epiphanes brachionus |
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Encentrum lutra |
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Filinia longiseta |
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Keratella cochlearis; infested by the euglenoid flagellate Colacium vesiculosum |
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Lecane sp. 02.08.2012 Sima Moor |
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Lepadella ovalis with Bertramia asperospora |
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Polyarthra vulgaris covered with euglenid flagellates Colacium sp., which may be considered as ectoparasites. |
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Polyarthra vulgaris covered with zooflagellates, which may be considered as ectoparasites. |
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Resticula gelida, specimen infested by parasites. (1) |
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Synchaeta pectinata with parasite infestation by Plistophora asperospora |
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Bdelloid (digonont) rotifers |
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Adineta tuberculosa infested by fungal parasites (marked by arrows). Specimen stained with Calcofluor (Epifluorescence). |
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Habrotrocha collaris infested by bacteria |
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Habrotrocha constricta 23.12.2012 |
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Macrotrachela quadricornifera 29.06.2013 |
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Macrotrachela quadricornifera with unknown parasite 29.06.2013 |
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Philodina cf flaviceps with unknown parasite 29.06.2013 |
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Philodina tranquilla with unknown parasite 29.06.2013 |
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Rotaria macrura with Leptoclava parasita |
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Rotaria magnacalcarata with Leptoclava parasita |
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