Main Content

The World of Protozoa, Rotifera, Nematoda and Oligochaeta

Gonyaulax

Gonyaulax Diesing (ref. ID; 1618)

[ref. ID; 1618]
Spherical, polyhedral, fusiform, elongated with stout apical and antapical prolongations, or dorso-ventrally flattened; apex never sharply attenuated; annulus equatorial; sulcus from apex to antapex, broadened posteriorly; plates 1-6 apical, 0-3 anterior intercalaries, six precingulars, six annular plates, six postincingulars, one posterior intercalary and one antapical; porulate; chromatophores yellow to dark brown, often dense; without stigma; fresh, brackish or salt water. (ref. ID; 1618)
  1. Gonyaulax apiculata (Penard) (ref. ID; 1618)
  2. Gonyaulax excavata (Braarud) Balech, 1971 (ref. ID; 3731)
  3. Gonyaulax grindleyi Reinecke, 1967 (ref. ID; 4151)
  4. Gonyaulax monilata Howell (ref. ID; 1618)
  5. Gonyaulax polyedra Stein, 1883 (ref. ID; 4151) reported year? (ref. ID; 1618) reported author and year? (ref. ID; 3731)
  6. Gonyaulax polygramma Stein, 1883 (ref. ID; 3731)
  7. Gonyaulax rugosum Wailes, 1928 (ref. ID; 4151)
  8. Gonyaulax spinifera (Claparede & Lachmann) (ref. ID; 3544)
  9. Gonyaulax tamarensis Lebour, 1925 (ref. ID; 3731) reported author and year? (ref. ID; 4102)
  10. Gonyaulax turbynei Murray & Whitting (ref. ID; 3544)

Gonyaulax apiculata (Penard) (ref. ID; 1618)

Descriptions

Ovate, chromatophores yellowish brown; fresh water. (ref. ID; 1618)

Measurements

30-60 um long. (ref. ID; 1618)

Gonyaulax monilata Howell (ref. ID; 1618)

Descriptions

Chain-formation. Howell (1953) considered it as the cause of a red tide which spread on the east coast of Florida in late summer, 1951 (ref. ID; 1618)

Measurements

About 37 um long; 57 in diameter. (ref. ID; 1618)

Gonyaulax polyedra Stein, 1883 (ref. ID; 4151) reported year? (ref. ID; 1618) reported author and year? (ref. ID; 3731)

Descriptions

Angular, polyhedral; ridges along sutures, annulus displaced one to two annulus widths, regularly pitted; salt water. "Very abundant in the San Diego region in the summer plankton, July-September, when it causes local outbreaks of 'red water', which extend along the coast of southern and lower California" (Kofoid 1911; Allen 1946). The organisms occurred also in abundance (85 per cent of plankton) in pools of sea water off the beach of Areia Branca, Portugal, and caused "red water" during the day and an extreme luminescence when agitated at night (Santos-Pinto 1949). When cultured under alternating light and dark periods of twelve hours each, Sweeney and Hastings (1958) found that at least 85 per cent of all divisions which occur in a day took place during a five-hour period toward the end of the dark period; and a maximum number of newly divided organisms are found at about the time the light period begins. (ref. ID; 1618)

Gonyaulax spinifera (Claparede & Lachmann) (ref. ID; 3544)

Descriptions

The cosmopolitan species with few antapical spines on the hypotheca. (ref. ID; 3544)

Measurements

Length 29-30; breadth 25 um. (ref. ID; 3544)

Gonyaulax tamarensis Lebour, 1925 (ref. ID; 3731) reported author and year? (ref. ID; 4102)

Descriptions

Marine dinoflagellate. (ref. ID; 4102)

Gonyaulax turbynei Murray & Whitting (ref. ID; 3544)

Measurements

Length 32-40; breadth 28-30 um. (ref. ID; 3544)