Dissodinium Klebs, 1916

Holotype species: Dissodinium lunula (F.Schütt) G.A.Klebs

Original publication and holotype designation: Pascher, A. (1916). Studien über die rhizopodiale Entwicklung der Flagellaten. Archiv für Protistenkunde 36(2): 82-136, 13 figures, plates 7-9.

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Description: Ectoparasitic dinophytes of copepod eggs. Infective spore settles on egg, penetrates the wall with a peduncle and holdfast organelle, starts myzocytotic food uptake. Parasite gradually enlarges, finally reaching the size of the copepod egg. After food uptake has terminated, parasite produces a primary cyst wall. Nuclear division precedes cytoplasmic division. Inside the primary cyst wall, 4-16 secondary lunate or ovoid cysts form. Each secondary cyst forms 4-16 dinospores, which are released into the water and may encyst again. After 1-2 days, new copepod eggs may be invaded. Type species has chloroplasts which increase in number during sporogenesis, suggesting phototrophic dinospores; the second species lacks chloroplasts. This complex life cycle with alternation of primary and secondary cysts and with the latter producing dinospores, caused confusion with similar coccoid stages of some nonparasitic obligate phototrophic and bioluminescent species of Pyrocystis Murray ex Haeckel. Ectoparasites of copepod eggs in marine temperate to tropical, mainly coastal, waters, including the Baltic Sea.

Information contributed by: M. Elbrächter. The most recent alteration to this page was made on 2020-10-13 by M.D. Guiry.

Taxonomic status: This name is of an entity that is currently accepted taxonomically.

Gender: This genus name is currently treated as neuter.

Comments: Dodge (1982: 257) cites this genus as being a member of the Family Dissodinaceae.

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Contributors
Some of the descriptions included in AlgaeBase were originally from the unpublished Encyclopedia of Algal Genera, organised in the 1990s by Dr Bruce Parker on behalf of the Phycological Society of America (PSA) and intended to be published in CD format. These AlgaeBase descriptions are now being continually updated, and each current contributor is identified above. The PSA and AlgaeBase warmly acknowledge the generosity of all past and present contributors and particularly the work of Dr Parker.

Descriptions of chrysophyte genera were subsequently published in J. Kristiansen & H.R. Preisig (eds.). 2001. Encyclopedia of Chrysophyte Genera. Bibliotheca Phycologica 110: 1-260.

Linking to this page: https://www.algaebase.org/search/genus/detail/?genus_id=44639

Citing AlgaeBase
Cite this record as:
M.D. Guiry in Guiry, M.D. & Guiry, G.M. 13 October 2020. AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway. https://www.algaebase.org; searched on 22 November 2024