Invertebrate
Asplanchna priodonta
Asplanchna priodontaAlso known as Sac Rotifer
Asplanchna priodonta is a large, glass-like predatory rotifer that drifts through open freshwater lakes without a foot or external shell. Propelled by the rhythmic beating of its ciliated corona, it captures and engulfs smaller plankton whole using extensible, pincer-like internal jaws. Females reproduce predominantly through cyclic parthenogenesis, creating rapid population blooms in spring and early summer before switching to sexual reproduction when food declines.
MicroscopicPredatoryPlanktonic
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & preyKeratella rotifers, Synchaeta rotifers, Cryptomonas flagellates
Predators
- Cyclopoid copepods
- Chaoborus midge larvae
- Larval fish
ThreatsSevere aquatic pollution, sudden temperature shifts, and heavy pesticide runoff
HabitatsPelagic zones of temperate and subpolar lakes, ponds, and freshwater reservoirs
Life span5–15 days
Classification
- OrderPloima
- FamilyAsplanchnidae
- GenusAsplanchna
- SpeciesAsplanchna priodonta
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Sampling: Tow a fine plankton net through open surface water to gather live specimens.
- Microscopy: Use a depression slide under low magnification to watch its transparent internal jaws move.
Image unavailablePrey Prey 
Predator US Geological Survey / Public domain · cc0
Close Relative (c) Thomas Gyselinck, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Thomas Gyselinck · cc-by
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