The Thecal Structure of a Marine Toxic Dinoflagellate Gambierdiscus toxicus gen. et sp. nov. Collected in a Ciguatera-endemic Area

Ciguatera-Causing Dinoflagellates in a Coral-reef Mangrove Ecosystem, Belize

“…The type species of the genus is Gambierdiscus toxicus Adachi et Fukuyo, 1979. Originally, specimens of Gambierdiscus were collected from numerous locations at Gambier Island, French Polynesia, in May 25, 1975; however, the collection site (type locality) of G. toxicus is currently unknown.…”

“…Originally, specimens of Gambierdiscus were collected from numerous locations at Gambier Island, French Polynesia, in May 25, 1975; however, the collection site (type locality) of G. toxicus is currently unknown. Adachi and Fukuyo (1979) illustrated the thecal plate morphology of G. toxicus in detailed line drawings. These drawings are accepted for identifying Gambierdiscus thecal morphology.…”

“…Some dinoflagellates are producers of toxins that biologically accumulate within the food chain. Yasumoto et al, (1977) and Adachi and Fukuyo (1979) identified Gambierdiscus toxicus…”

Madanidinium loirii gen. et sp. nov.(Dinophyceae), a new marine benthic dinoflagellate from Martinique Island, Eastern Caribbean

“…They gained new interest for scientists when the epiphytic species producing maitotoxin and ciguatoxin, Gambierdiscus toxicus, was associated with ciguatera disease in the tropical Pacific (Adachi & Fukuyo, 1979;Taylor, 1979). Subsequently, several other benthic taxa were found to be harmful and involved in the complex mechanism of ciguatera (Bomber & Aikman, 1989;Litaker et al, 2010).…”

Developmental Biology of Neoplastic Growth

“…Several tens of thousands people experience ciguatera-related troubles every year, especially in coral-reef ecosystems from the Caribbean area and the Pacific and Indian oceans (Anderson and Lobel 1987;Levine 1995;Swift and Swift 1993). The main agent of this human intoxication is the dinoflagellate Gambierdiscus toxicus (Adachi and Fukuyo 1979;). Its subsequent intoxication in human is mainly characterised by neurological, gastrointestinal and cardiac disturbances.…”