Durinskia Carty & El.R.Cox, 1986

Holotype species: Durinskia baltica (Levander) Carty & El.R.Cox

Currently accepted name for the type species: Durinskia dybowskii (Wołoszyńska) Carty

Original publication and holotype designation: Carty, S. & Cox, E.R. (1986). Kansodinium gen. nov. and Durinskia gen. nov.: two genera of freshwater dinoflagellates (Pyrrhophyta). Phycologia 25(2): 197-204.

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Description: Medium-sized (20-40 µm), biflagellate thecate dinoflagellates of spherical shape. Circular cingulum separates the larger epitheca from the smaller hypotheca. Sulcus restricted to the hypocone. Plate formula: po, X, 4', 2a, 6", 5c, 4s, 5'", 2"". Theca lacking ornamentation. Chloroplasts and eyespot present. Chloroplasts have not the typical dinoflagellate ultrastructure and pigmentation but those of chrysophytes, lacking peridinin but containing fucoxanthin. In addition to the large typical dinoflagellate nucleus a second euchromatic nucleus is present. The non-photosynthetic dinoflagellates bears an endosymbiont, presumably a chrysophyte. The endosymbiont has chloroplasts, its own Golgi apparatus and its nucleus which seem to divide amitotically and even seem to fuse when gametes form a zygote. The cytoplasm of the dinoflagellate and of the endosymbiont are separated by a single membrane. Freeze fracture studies revealed that the inner face of this membrane has more intramembranous particles than the outer one. Besides the phototrophic eukaryotic endosymbiont, the dinoflagellate may harbor bacterial endosymbionts. Planktonic in brackish and marine coastal waters.

Information contributed by: M. Elbrächter. The most recent alteration to this page was made on 2024-06-13 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 feminine.

Most recent taxonomic treatment adopted: Carty, S. (2014). Freshwater dinoflagellates of North America. pp. [i]-viii, [2], [1]-260, 153 figs. Ithaca & London: Comstock Publishing Associates. A division of Cornell University Press.

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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Some of the descriptions included in AlgaeBase were originally from the unpublished Encyclopedia of Algal Genera, organised in the 1990s by Dr Bruce Parker on behalf of the Phycological Society of America (PSA) and intended to be published in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=45445

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