The present work was carried out to describe the number of Rotifera species occurring in the water bodies of São Paulo State. The species checklist were made using the data obtained from the Project BIOTA/FAPESP (1999-2003) and from the other authors that worked in São Paulo State. From twenty two (22) UGRHI (Unit of Management of Water Resources) of São Paulo State 250 water bodies were sampled in the Project BIOTA/FAPESP but only five (5) UGRHI (Mantiqueira, Pardo,Tietê/Jacaré, Mogi Guaçu, Alto Tietê) were studied for Rotifera group sampling 90 water bodies. 277 species were recorded of which 89 were registered for the first time in São Paulo State. This number of species is probably not the real number of species that occur in São Paulo State once the relationship species number/number of samples analyzed did not attain the expected plateau. The species which are representative of the water bodies of São Paulo State are from the following families: Lecanidae (60 species), Trichocercidae (42 species), Brachionidae (34 species), Synchaetidae (12 species), Floscularidae (11 species), Filinidae (6 species), Asplanchnidae (4 species), Conochilidae (4 species).
fresh-water Rotifera; biodiversity of the State of São Paulo; BIOTA/FAPESP Program
