Brachionus plicatilis is a euryhaline (tolerate a wide range of salinity) rotifer in the family Brachionidae, and is possibly the only commercially important rotifer, being raised in the aquaculture industry as food for fish larvae.

It has a broad distribution in salt lakes around the world and has become a model system for studies in ecology and evolution.

Mixis in Brachionus plicatilis has been shown to be induced by a density-dependent chemical cue.

[1] Haploid '1C' genome sizes in the Brachionus plicatilis species complex range at least from 0.056 to 0.416 pg.

However, studies on morphology, karyotype, genetics and reproductive behaviour revealed that these types seem to be different species (B. plicatilis and B. rotundiformis).