A carnivorous bdelloid rotifer, Abrochtha carnivora n.sp.

Here we describe a new bdelloid rotifer, Abrochtha carnivora n.sp., that pr eys on other bdelloids and monogonont rotifers. This is the first report of predatory behavior in bdelloids. Despite this extraordinary behavior, A. c arnivora displays no major structural deviation from the standard body plan for members of the bdelloid family Philodinavidae: body with head (with ci liated corona), trunk, and foot, mastax with ramate trophi. The finding of such a carnivorous species, unique for the class, appears to contradict the common assumption that the wholly parthenogenetic bdelloids are evolutiona ry dead-ends.