Notes: target, annual, may be abundant, 45 spp., worldwide, pennate diatom, toxin, unicell or chain, medium to large size 40-175um. ⁴

HAB
40-175 µm(L)

Description ⁵

Pseudo-nitzschia is a marine planktonic diatom genus containing some species capable of producing the neurotoxin domoic acid (DA), which is responsible for the neurological disorder known as amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP). It was originally hypothesized that only dinoflagellates could produce harmful algal toxins, but a deadly bloom of Pseudo-nitzschia occurred in 1987 in the bays of Prince Edward Island, Canada, and lead to an outbreak of ASP.[1] Blooms have since been characterized in coastal waters worldwide and have been linked to increasing marine nutrient concentrations

Wikipedia

Sources and Credits

1. (c) GTMResearchReserve, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), uploaded by GTMResearchReserve
2. (c) Sarka Martinez, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Sarka Martinez
3. (c) GTM NERR, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), https://www.flickr.com/photos/gtmnerr/23965593154/
4. Adapted by GTMResearchReserve from a work by Public Domain, http://eol.org/data_objects/17333974
5. (c) GTMResearchReserve, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)

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