Lingulodinium polyedra

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lingulodinium polyedrum
Ventral view of Lingulodinium polyedra as seen by a scanning electron microscope. Cell diameter is roughly 40 micrometers.
L. polyedra in the surf off Solana Beach, California on 25 September 2011. (Exposure: 3 sec / f4 / ISO 3200 / f 210 mm)

Lingulodinium polyedra is a mobile photosynthetic dinoflagellate. It gives off a bioluminescent light which shows on beaches at night. It causes red tides.

L. polyedra causes red tides in southern California, with bioluminescent displays on beaches at night.

The organism was first described in 1955 as a cyst, Hystrichosphaeridium machaerophorum from the Miocene of Balcombe Bay, Victoria, Australia.[1] Its first appearance in the fossil record was in the Palaeocene.

The toxins from such tiny dinoflagellates accumulate in shellfish which feed on them. Mussels, scallops and clams can be the agents of food poisoning if they eat these dinoflagellates.[2]

Keeping live shellfish in pure water for three days before cooking is a standard way to avoid this problem.

References[change | change source]

  1. Deflandre G. and Cookson I.C., 1955. Fossil microplankton from Australian Late Mesozoic and Tertiary sediments. Aust. J. Mar Freshw. Res. 6, 242-313.
  2. A. Tubaro; V. Dell’Ovo; S. Sosa; C. Florio 2010. Yessotoxins: a toxicological overview. Toxicon 56 (2): 163–172. [1]