title: Morphological and molecular characterization of three new Azadinium species (Amphidomataceae, dinophyceae) from the Irminger sea.
abstract: Some species of the planktonic dinoflagellate genus Azadinium produce azaspiracids (AZAs), a group of lipophilic phycotoxins causing human poisoning after mussel consumption. We describe three new species from the North Atlantic, all of which shared the same Kofoidean plate pattern characteristic for Azadinium: Po, cp, X, 4', 3a, 6″, 6C, 5S, 6'″, 2″″. Azadinium trinitatum sp. nov. was mainly characterized by the presence of an antapical spine and by the position of the ventral pore at the left distal end of the pore plate in a cavity of plate 1'. Azadinium cuneatum sp. nov. had a conspicuously formed first apical plate, which was asymmetrically elongated and tapered on its left lateral side with a ventral pore located at the tip of this elongated 1' plate. Azadinium concinnum sp. nov. was of particular small size (< 10μm) and characterized by an anteriorly elongated anterior sulcal plate and by large and symmetric precingular plates. The ventral pore was located inside the apical pore plate on the cells' right lateral side. Molecular phylogenetics as inferred from concatenated SSU rRNA, ITS, and LSU rRNA sequence data supported the distinctiveness of the three new species. None of the new species produced any known AZAs in measurable amounts.
authors.affiliation: Alfred Wegener Institute, Am Handelshafen 12, D-27570 Bremerhaven, Germany. Electronic address: Urban.Tillmann@awi.de.
authors.forename: Urban
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Tillmann
authors.affiliation: Department Biologie, Systematische Botanik und Mykologie, GeoBio-Center, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Menzinger Str. 67, D-80638 München, Germany.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gottschling
authors.affiliation: Ifremer, Station de Biologie Marine, Place de la Croix, BP 40537, 29185 CONCARNEAU Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nézan
authors.affiliation: Alfred Wegener Institute, Am Handelshafen 12, D-27570 Bremerhaven, Germany.
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Krock
authors.affiliation: Ifremer, Station de Biologie Marine, Place de la Croix, BP 40537, 29185 CONCARNEAU Cedex, France.
authors.forename: Gwenaël
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bilien
mesh_terms: D004141:Dinoflagellida / Q000145:classification / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D007055:Iceland; D008387:Marine Toxins / Q000378:metabolism; D013141:Spiro Compounds / Q000378:metabolism; D000095702:Polyether Toxins
chemical_list: D008387:Marine Toxins; D013141:Spiro Compounds; C406592:azaspiracid; D000095702:Polyether Toxins
keywords: Azadinium; Iceland; Irminger Sea; azaspiracids; new species.