Gonyaulax sp.

Lewis, Jane, Taylor, Joe D., Neale, Klaire & Leroy, Suzanne A. G., 2018, Expanding known dinoflagellate distributions: investigations of slurry cultures from Caspian Sea sediment, Botanica Marina (Warsaw, Poland) 61 (1), pp. 21-31 : 27

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.1515/bot-2017-0041

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.12002117

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/AB4F87BD-AA58-FF8C-638A-3786FDDBFAB2

treatment provided by

Felipe

scientific name

Gonyaulax sp.
status

 

Gonyaulax sp. ( Figures 7–10 View Figures 2–31 )

Motile cells were brownish-yellow in colour, 35–40 µm long and 25–30 µm wide. Cells had a conical epitheca with a pronounced apical horn arising from distinct shoulders ( Figures 7–9 View Figures 2–31 ). The hypotheca was slightly flattened with a long (5–8 µm) single antapical horn. The wide median cingulum was offset by two cingulum widths. Thecal plates were strongly reticulate ( Figure 10 View Figures 2–31 ). This poorly growing strain did not survive to sequencing so observations as to identity can only be made on the basis of light microscopy. The cells can be compared to Gonyaulax digitale Kofoid and Gonyaulax elongata (Reid) Ellegaard, Daugbjerg, Rochon, Lewis et Harding for which cyst-theca relationships have been described ( Lewis et al. 2001, Ellegaard et al. 2003). They resemble most closely the former with the exception of the single prominent antapical spine – no specimens being seen with two or more spines as is diagnostic for this species. Gonyaulax elongata is characterised by a single antapical flange but has a rather less pronounced apical horn with only weak shoulders in contrast to the cells observed here. Neither have either of these cyst types been recorded from Caspian Sea sediment. Table 1 View Table 1 shows there are several other gonyaulacoid cysts recorded in the sediment – Spiniferites belerius Reid , Spiniferites cruciformis Wall et Dale and Caspidinium rugosum Marret. From this study, it is not possible to determine which, if any, of these are linked to this Gonyaulax . Comparison to some 25 other described Gonyaulax species does not yield any clear affinities. At this point, we do not consider we have sufficient information to fully describe this species and prefer to wait to provide a description that would also include the cyst stage.

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