''Karlodinium'' is a genus of athecate

dinoflagellate The Dinoflagellates (), also called Dinophytes, are a monophyletic group of single-celled eukaryotes constituting the phylum Dinoflagellata and are usually considered protists. Dinoflagellates are mostly marine plankton, but they are also commo ...

s that lives worldwide. They are often

toxin A toxin is a naturally occurring poison produced by metabolic activities of living cells or organisms. They occur especially as proteins, often conjugated. The term was first used by organic chemist Ludwig Brieger (1849–1919), derived ...

producing, and compared to the other members of the Kareniaceae, are fairly small at <8-15 μm diameter. They are also able to form intense

algal blooms Algae ( , ; : alga ) is an informal term for any organisms of a large and diverse group of photosynthetic organisms that are not plants, and includes species from multiple distinct clades. Such organisms range from unicellular microalgae, suc ...

. This species relies of

photosynthesis Photosynthesis ( ) is a system of biological processes by which photosynthetic organisms, such as most plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, convert light energy, typically from sunlight, into the chemical energy necessary to fuel their metabo ...

and phagotrphy to grow.

Species

* '' Karlodinium antarcticum'' * '' Karlodinium armiger'' * '' Karlodinium ballantinum'' * '' Karlodinium conicum'' * '' Karlodinium corrugatum'' * '' Karlodinium decipiens'' * '' Karlodinium veneficum''

References

Dinoflagellate genera Gymnodiniales {{dinoflagellate-stub