Synxenic and Attempted Axenic Cultivation of Rotifers

Three species of rotifers have now been grown synxenically and, to a limited extent, axenically. Brachionus variabilis thrives in suitable media containing Chlorella pyrenoidosa and a bacterial species. Lecane inermis and Philodina acuticornis var. odiosa are bacteriophagous, the former doing best with two bacterial species (dixenically), the latter doing well with Escherichia coli alone (monoxenically).