Two living cells (BF)
Life-form: Solitary
Size: length 40-80 µm.
Resting spore: +
Note: Toxic (?), Can produce small cells (Silva & Faust 1985)
Distinctive features: Often pentagonal with broadly conical epicone and a bilobed hypocone. Sulcus does not extend on to the epicone. Many small chloroplasts. Nucleus large and central. The girdle slightly left-handed displaced
Similar species:
Distribution: Worldwide in coastal waters
Literature:
Drebes, G. 1974. Marines Phytoplankton, Eine Auswahl der
Helgoländer Planktonalgen (Diatomeen, Peridineen). Georg Thieme
Verlag, Stuttgart. 186 pp.
Hansen, G. & Larsen, J. 1992. Dinoflagellater i danske farvande. In: Thomsen, H. A. (ed.) Plankton i de indre danske farvande. Havforskning fra Miljøstyrelsen, Copenhagen, p. 45-155.
Silva, E. S. & Faust, M. A. 1995. Small cells in the life history of dinoflagellates (Dinophyceae): a review. Phycologia. 34: 396-408.
Steidinger, K. A. & Tangen, K. 1996. Dinoflagellates. In: Tomas, C. R. (ed.) Identifying marine diatoms and dinoflagellates. Academic Press, Inc., San Diego, p. 387-584.
Lebour, M. V. 1925. The dinoflagellates of northern seas. Mar. Biol. Ass. U. K., Plymouth. 1-250.