Pregnant viviparous rotifer

[Bernd]

Hello:

Each time I meet a pregnant viviparous bdelloid rotifer, I am amazed by the sheer size of the embryo inside her mother. In the pictures shown here, the embryo is about 60% of the size of the mother. For clarity, I have marked head, mastax and foot of the embryo with arrows. In the first picture, you can see the eyes of the embryo, whose rotatory apparatus is retracted. The mother is about 500 µm long. In the second picture the rotatory apparatus of the embryo is streched out.





Canon Powershot G5, Zeiss Axioskop, Epiplan-Neofluar 20x/0,50, brightfield illumination.


Bernd

[rjlittlefield]

These are too good to stand without reply! Excellent photos!

I have not studied these rotifers at all. What is the birth process? How does such a large offspring get out without ripping the mother apart?

--Rik

[Charles Krebs]

Bernd... The "pregnant" rotifer is great but you sure managed to get a bunch of interesting subjects included in that top image.

[Ken Ramos]

Hey nice images. There are quite a few interesting looking critters in that first image as Charlie mentioned. Personally, I shy away from pregnant things...