Three estuarine Australian dinoflagellates that can produce paralytic shellfish toxins

1 January 1988

journal article
Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Journal of Plankton Research

Vol. 10 (3) , 533-541
https://doi.org/10.1093/plankt/10.3.533

Abstract

Three toxic dinoflagellates that can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) in humans are reported for the first time from estuarine Australian waters. Blooms of the chain-forming, unarmoured Gymnodinium catenatum Graham resulted in closures of shellfish farms in summer-autumn 1986 and 1987 in southern Tasmanian estuaries. The chain-forming, armoured Alexandrium catenella (Whedon et Kofoid) Balech occurred in April 1986 in Port Phillip Bay, Melbourne. Alexandrium minutum Halim produced red water in October 1986 and 1987 in Port River, Adelaide. For the first time in this species PSP toxin production was demonstrated by mouse bioassays and HPLC analyses. Biogeographic aspects of these dinoflagellates and the apparent global spreading of toxic plankton blooms are discussed.

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