As a member of the phylum Rotifera, it shares many features with other rotifers, including a ciliated corona and a characteristic rotary motion.

Overall, the distinctive morphology of Brachionus calyciflorus plays an important role in its feeding, locomotion, reproduction, and adaptation to its aquatic environment.

Once the food supply becomes scarce, some amictic females switch to a meiotic mode of reproduction, producing haploid male offspring.

However, when the food supply remains abundant, the amictic females continue to reproduce asexually, producing new clones of themselves through multiple generations, leading to high population densities.

This species is euryhaline, meaning it can tolerate a wide range of salinities, and can be found in both fresh and brackish water habitats.

Brachionus calyciflorus is a cosmopolitan species, meaning it is found in many regions of the world, including North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa.

It has been reported in a range of countries, including the United States, Canada, Brazil, Spain, France, Sweden, Russia, and Japan.

In addition to its natural distribution, Brachionus calyciflorus is commonly used in aquaculture, where it is reared in laboratory cultures to feed fish and other aquatic organisms.

Obligate parthenogens were homozygous for a recessive allele, which caused inability to respond to the chemical signals that normally induce sexual reproduction in this species.