Sexual reproductive biology of twelve species of rotifers in the genera: Brachionus, Cephalodella, Collotheca, Epiphanes, Filinia, Lecane, and Trichocerca

We provide descriptions of the sexual reproductive biology of 12 species of rotifers from seven families and seven genera: Brachionus angularis, B. araceliae, B. ibericus, B. quadridentatus (Brachionidae); Cephalodella catellina (Notommatidae); Collotheca ornata (Collothecidae); Epiphanes brachionus (Epiphanidae), Filinia novaezealandiae (Trochosphaeridae); Lecane nana, L. leontina, L. bulla (Gosse 1851) (Lecanidae); and Trichocerca stylata (Trichocercidae). Data include: (a) video-recordings of 10 of the 12 species (the exceptions are two common species, B. angularis and B. ibericus), (b) scanning electron micrographs of B. araceliae, B. ibericus, C. catellina, and E. brachionus females, (c) light micrographs of C. catellina, C. ornata, F. novaezealandiae, L. bulla, L. leontina, L. nana, and T. stylata diapausing embryos, males, and unfertilized sexual eggs. This study challenges the common perception that mating behavior consists of five steps, and provides: (a) the first documentation of sexual cannibalism in C. catellina, (b) the first description of the sexual reproductive behaviors of C. ornata, L. bulla, L. leontina, L. nana, and T. stylata, (c) the first description of the males of F. novaezealandiae, L. leontina, L. nana, and T. stylata. Moreover, this study includes analyses of morphological and behavioral variation among males of the seven families studied.