| Brachionus plicatilis | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Rotifera |
| Class: | Monogononta |
| Order: | Ploimida |
| Family: | Brachionidae |
| Genus: | Brachionus |
| Species: | B. plicatilis |
| Binomial name | |
| Brachionus plicatilis (Mueller, 1786) |
|
Brachionus plicatilis is a euryhaline (tolerate a wide range of salinity) rotifer in the Family Brachionidae, and is possibly the only commercially important rotifer, being raised in the aquaculture industry as food for fish larvae. It has a broad distribution in salt lakes around the world and has become a model system for studies in ecology and evolution. DNA sequencing studies in 2002 revealed Brachionus plicatilis to be a cryptic species complex comprising approximately 10 separate species, each of which has been diverging for several million years.[1] The species, rather than the complex, is now usually referred to as Brachionus plicatilis s. s. (sensu stricto). Haploid '1C' genome sizes in the Brachionus plicatilis species complex range at least from 0.056 to 0.416 pg.[2]