Ultra Structural Comparison of Trophi in Species of the Genus Brachionus Pallas, 1766 in Aguascalientes State, Mexico

Abstract

Trophi is only found in rotifers. The trophi has been used as a tool to identify species as well as an instrument for reconstructing the phylogeny of the organism, morphometric analysis, etc. Twelve species of rotifers of the genus Brachionus Pallas, 1766 were collected from different regions of the state of Aguascalientes, Mexico. An ultra-structure analysis was performed to examine the structural composition of the trophi of each species using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The SEM observations show significant differences in the structural composition of each species, with the most considerable differences found in the trophi of B. budapestinensis.