Animal profile

Bdelloid Rotifer

BdelloideaFreshwater, damp moss, lichen and soil worldwide

Field profile

Microscopic animals a fraction of a millimetre long, named for the wheel-like ciliary organ at the head that draws in food. The bdelloid group contains hundreds of described species and no known males. They tolerate repeated drying and rehydration.

Published field notes

2024-03-30

Bdelloid Rotifer

Bdelloid rotifers have no known males

Hundreds of described species, examined for well over a century, have produced no male specimen and no evidence of conventional sex. They reproduce from unfertilised eggs, and yet they have diversified rather than stagnating.

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