Karenia brevis

Super Group: 
Alveolata
Phylum: 
Dinophyta
Class: 
Dinophyceae
Order: 
Brachidiniales
Family: 
Brachidiniaceae
Genus: 
Karenia
Species: 
brevis
Authority: 
(C.C.Davis) Gert Hansen & Ø.Moestrup in N. Daugbjerg, G. Hansen, J. Larsen, & Ø. Moestrup 2000
Synonym(s): 
Gymnodinium breve C.C.Davis
Ptychodiscus brevis (C.C.Davis) Steidinger 1979

Diagnosis

Diagnose_Species: Karenia brevis G. Hansen & Moestrup: Unarmoured dinoflagellates whose major carotenoid is fucoxanthin, 19'-hexanoyl-oxyfucoxanthin and/or 19'-butanoyl-oxyfucoxanthin. Cell nucleus without nuclear envelope chambers and nuclear capsule. Apical groove straight. Produces neurotoxins and hemolytic substances. Schaeffer et al. (2009) have demonstrated that high light causes K. brevis to increase EPS (epoxidation state of xanthophyll- cycle pigments diadinoxanthin and diatoxanthin) and toxin concentrations while decreasing its lipid concentrations, specifically the sterol class. They conclude that this species may be relatively benign from sunrise to mid-morning but from mid-morning until mid-afternoon, it may have the potential to be highly toxic.

Bloom: Yes
Toxicity: Yes_NSP
Allelopathy: Yes (hemolytic substances)
Pigment: 19'-hexanoyl-oxyfucoxanthin and/or 19'-butanoyl-oxyfucoxanthin

Etymology

Karenia: named after Karen Steidinger in recognition of her contributions to dinoflagellate research. brevis: Adjective (Latin), short, of small extent (Stearn 1973).

Type species

This is the type species (holotype) of the genus Karenia.

Type illustration / Type locality / Type specimen

Type locality: Gulf of Mexico: near Naples, Florida, USA (Faust & Gulledge 2002: 38)

Ecology

Substrate: planktonic
Sociability: solitary
Salinity: marine
pH: neutral

Feeding: Photosynthetic

Life cycle

Phases_alternance: haplontic
Generation: <1 month

Reproduction_mode: asexual_binary

Feeding behaviour

Photosynthetic

Mode of locomotion

Two flagella typical for Dinophyceae
Flagellum: 2
Motility: motile_swimming

Attached phylogeny

Observation site(s)

SYMBIONTS

Displaying 1 - 1 of 1
Association with... Region origin Name of site In reference...
Parvilucifera sinerae Catalunya Harbor of Arenys de Mar R. Isabel Figueroa, Garcés, E., Massana, R., and Camp, J., Description, Host-specificity, and Strain Selectivity of the Dinoflagellate Parasite Parvilucifera sinerae sp. nov. (Perkinsozoa), Protist, vol. 159, no. 4, pp. 563 - 578, 2008.