The 1,500 to 2,000 species in the phylum Rotifera, like other members of the kingdom Animalia, are multicellular, heterotrophic (dependent on other organisms for nutrients), and lack cell walls. But rotifers possess a unique combination of traits that...

The simplest of all multicellular animals, its name comes from the rotating motion of the two sets of cilia on the head. Rotifers are strict aerobes and found only in waters with low organic content. These animals are considered indicator organisms for...

The rotifers make up a phylum of microscopic and near-microscopic pseudocoelomate animals. They were first described by John Harris in 1696 (Hudson and Gosse, 1886). Leeuwenhoek is mistakenly given credit for being the first to describe rotifers but...