First records of the dinoflagellate genus Dicroerisma (Actiniscales, Dinophyceae) in the Mediterranean Sea
Keywords:
biodiversity, Discroerisma, Dinophyta, introduced species, Mediterranean Sea, non-indigenous taxa, invasive phytoplanktonAbstract
This study is the first to describe and illustrate the dinoflagellate genus Dicroerisma in the Mediterranean Sea. Twenty individuals ascribed to Dicroerisma psilonereiella were encountered. The highest abundance (12 cells L-1) was recorded in the Balearic Sea at 50 m depth. Other specimens were found in subsurface waters (>75 m depth, with some records at 250 m depth) in the Ionian and Levantine Basin. These findings suggest that Dicroerisma is a widespread genus and its presence has gone unnoticed due to its small size, deep water distribution and misidentification with other gymnodinioid cells.
