''Karlodinium veneficum'' is a species of

dinoflagellates 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 ...

belonging to the family

Kareniaceae Kareniaceae is an accepted marine family of relatively small, toxic, unarmored dinoflagellates belonging to the order Gymnodiniales. Species in the Kareniaceae clade often cause harmful discolored green algal blooms (HABs) that pose a safety and ...

. This species is predominantly inhabiting aquatic environments, particularly in temperate coastal regions. ''Karlodinium veneficum'' genome sizes have been reported as ~20 pg/cell and 4 pg/cell. This phytoplankton has the capacity to produce harmfull toxins, specifically karlotoxins, which have been associated with detrimental phenomena such as harmful algae blooms. These blooms have been documented globally, spanning regions from South Africa and Europe to Australia, North America, and China. The repercussions of ''K. veneficum'' blooms include not only ecological concerns, also substantial economic and environmental impacts. The species-specific toxins produced by ''K. veneficum'', known as karlotoxins, belong to the amphidinol-like compound class, exhibiting hemolytic, ichthyotoxic, and cytotoxic properties. The toxins generated by this dinoflagellate have been implicated in massive fish kills during bloom events. ''K. veneficum'' is not confined to solitary blooms but frequently coexists with other phytoplankton species, such as ''Prorocentrum donghaiense'' and ''Karenia mikimotoi''. ''K. veneficum'' often proliferates into dense blooms following the decline of ''P. donghaiense''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q68462642 Gymnodiniales