Thecal plate morphology, molecular phylogeny, and toxin analyses reveal two novel species of Alexandrium (Dinophyceae) and their potential for toxin production.

This study describes two novel species of marine dinophytes in the genus Alexandrium. Morphological characteristics and phylogenetic analyses support the placement of the new taxa, herein designated as Alexandrium limii sp. nov. and A. ogatae sp. nov. Alexandrium limii, a species closely related to A. taylorii, is distinguished by having a shorter 2'/4' suture length, narrower plates 1' and 6'', with larger length: width ratios, and by the position of the ventral pore (Vp). Alexandrium ogatae is distinguishable with its metasert plate 1' having almost parallel lateral margins, and by lacking a Vp. Production of paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs), cycloimines, and goniodomins (GDs) in clonal cultures of A. ogatae, A. limii, and A. taylorii were examined analytically and the results showed that all strains contained GDs, with GDA as major variants (6-14 pg cell-1) for all strains except the Japanese strain of A. limii, which exclusively had a desmethyl variant of GDA (1.4-7.3 pg cell-1). None of the strains contained detectable levels of PSTs and cycloimines.

Six marine thecate Heterocapsa (Dinophyceae) from Malaysia, including the description of three novel species and their cytotoxicity potential.

Thirty-four strains of Heterocapsa were established from Malaysian waters and their morphologies were examined by light, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy. Three species, H. bohaiensis, H. huensis, and H. rotundata, and three new species, H. borneoensis sp. nov., H. limii sp. nov., and H. iwatakii sp. nov. were described in this study. The three species were differentiated morphologically by unique characteristics of cell size, shape, displacement of the cingulum, shape and position of nucleus, the number and position of pyrenoids, and body scale ultrastructure. The species delimitations were robustly supported by the molecular data. A light-microscopy-based key to species of Heterocapsa is established, with two major groups, i.e., species with a single pyrenoid, and species with multiple pyrenoids. Bioassays were conducted by exposing Artemia nauplii to Heterocapsa densities of 1-5 × 105 cells mL-1, and treatments exposed to H. borneoensis showed naupliar mortality, while no naupliar death was observed in the treatments exposed to cells of H. bohaiensis, H. huensis, H. limii, and H. iwatakii. Naupliar death was observed during the initial 24 h for both tested H. borneoensis strains, and mortality rates increased up to 50% after 72-h exposure. This study documented for the first time the diversity and cytotoxic potency of Heterocapsa species from Malaysian waters.