''Euchlanis'' is a genus of
rotifers
The rotifers (, from Latin 'wheel' and 'bearing'), sometimes called wheel animals or wheel animalcules, make up a phylum (Rotifera ) of microscopic and near-microscopic pseudocoelomate animals.
They were first described by Rev. John Harris ...
belonging to the family
Euchlanidae
Euchlanidae is a family of rotifers belonging to the order Ploima
Ploima is an order of rotifers, microscopic invertebrates found in marine and freshwater habitats.
Families
According to the World Register of Marine Species, Ploima includes ...
.
Sometimes alternatively referred to as wheel
animalcule
Animalcule (; ) is an archaic term for microscopic organisms that included bacteria, protozoans, and very small animals. The word was invented by 17th-century Dutch scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek to refer to the microorganisms he observed i ...
s, rotifers feature a characteristic circular arrangement of cilia at their front ends that is reminiscent of a turning wheel when they are in motion.
The genus has a
cosmopolitan distribution
In biogeography, a cosmopolitan distribution is the range of a taxon that extends across most or all of the surface of the Earth, in appropriate habitats; most cosmopolitan species are known to be highly adaptable to a range of climatic and en ...
.
Description
Rotifers have a characteristic circular arrangement of cilia at their front ends. These cilia are used to bring food particles, including bacteria, debris and small protozoans, towards the mouth.
A mastax, a jaw-like structure, grinds the food as it enters the stomach. Excretory structures known as
flame cell
A flame cell is a specialized excretory cell found in simple invertebrates, including flatworms ( Platyhelminthes), rotifers and nemerteans; these are the simplest animals to have a dedicated excretory system. Flame cells function like a kidney ...
s create a current that drains them into the intestines or the bladder.
They have transparent bodies and two strong structures that are used for swimming. They are sheathed in a glassy shell secreted by their outer skin.
Species
The following species are accepted:
* ''
Euchlanis alata''
Voronkov, 1912
* ''
Euchlanis arenosa''
Myers, 1936
*''
Euchlanis callimorpha''
Berzinš, 1957
*''
Euchlanis callysta''
Myers, 1930
*''
Euchlanis calpidia''
(Myers, 1930)
*''
Euchlanis contorta''
(Wulfert, 1939)
*''
Euchlanis dactyliseta''
Sudzuki, 1998
*''
Euchlanis dapidula''
Parise, 1966
*''
Euchlanis deflexa''
Gosse, 1851
*''
Euchlanis dilatata''
Ehrenberg, 1832
*''
Euchlanis hyphidactyla''
Parise, 1963
*''
Euchlanis incisa''
Carlin, 1939
*''
Euchlanis ligulata''
Kutikova & Vassiljeva, 1982
*''
Euchlanis lucksiana''
Hauer
*''
Euchlanis lyra''
Hudson, 1886
*''
Euchlanis mamorokaensis''
Berzinš, 1973
*''
Euchlanis meneta''
Myers, 1930
*''
Euchlanis mikropous''
Koch-Althaus, 1962
*''
Euchlanis oropha''
Gosse, 1887
*''
Euchlanis parameneta''
Berzinš, 1957
*''
Euchlanis perpusilla''
De Ridder, 1977
*''
Euchlanis phryne''
Myers, 1930
*''
Euchlanis pyriformis''
Gosse, 1851
*''
Euchlanis semicarinata''
Segers, 1993
*''
Euchlanis triquetra''
Ehrenberg, 1838
References
Rotifer genera
Ploima
Taxa named by Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg
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