''Karlodinium corrugatum'' is a species of unarmored
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 from the genus ''
Karlodinium
''Karlodinium'' is a genus of athecate dinoflagellates that lives worldwide. They are often toxin 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 ''. It was first isolated from the Australian region of the
Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean, also known as the Antarctic Ocean, comprises the southernmost waters of the world ocean, generally taken to be south of 60th parallel south, 60° S latitude and encircling Antarctica. With a size of , it is the seco ...
, just south of the
polar front
In meteorology, the polar front is the weather front boundary between the polar cell and the Ferrel cell around the 60° latitude, near the polar regions, in both hemispheres. At this boundary a sharp gradient in temperature occurs between thes ...
. It is small-sized and is characterized by having distinctive striations on the epicone surface which are parallel, and a distinctively shaped and placed ventral pore. It is considered potentially
ichthyotoxic
Ichthyotoxins are compounds which are either toxic to fish, or are toxins produced by fish. The former include the algae-produced euglenophycin and prymnesins, which can cause large-scale fish deaths. The latter includes ostracitoxin, produced by b ...