Abstract Full Text:PDF Recommended articles Mail to Author How to Cite

¹ Department of Scientific Studies and Protection of Marine Biocenoses, Ukrainian Scientific Center of Ecology of the Sea (UkrSCES), Odesa 65009, Ukraine
² Ifremer, COAST, F-29900 Concarneau, France
³ Laboratory of Preservation and Biodiversity Renewal, Institute for Evolutionary Ecology of NAS of Ukraine, 37 Acad. Lebedev Str., Kyiv 03143, Ukraine
⁴ Department of Phytoecology, Institute for Evolutionary Ecology of NAS of Ukraine, 37 Acad. Lebedev Str., Kyiv 03143, Ukraine
⁵ Laboratorio de Botánica Marina y Planctología, Instituto de Ciencias Marinas y Pesquerías, Universidad Veracruzana, Boca del Río 94294, Veracruz, México
⁶ Faculty of Natural Sciences Teacher Education, School of Education, Dong Thap University, Cao Lanh 870000, Vietnam
⁷ Departamento de Plancton y Ecología Marina, Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Centro Interdisciplinario de Ciencias Marinas (IPN-CICIMAR). Av. Instituto Politécnico Nacional s/n, Apdo. Postal 592, La Paz, Baja California Sur 23096, Mexico
⁸ Department of Ecological Monitoring, Institute for Evolutionary Ecology of NAS of Ukraine, 37 Acad. Lebedev Str., Kyiv 03143, Ukraine
⁹ Institute of Oceanology
¹⁰ Department of Anatomy, Histology, Cytology and Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University, Pleven 5800, Bulgaria
¹¹ Institute of Fish Resources, Varna (Agricultural Academy, Sofia), POBox 72, 4 Primorski Blvd., Varna 9000, Bulgaria
¹² Sinop University, Department of Marine Biology, Faculty of Fisheries, Sinop 57000, Türkiye
¹³ National Institute for Marine Research and Development DOI : 10.4194/TRJFAS29993 Viewed : 320 - Downloaded : 261 The distribution, ecology, and morphology of the relatively new harmful algal bloom (HAB) inducer in the Black Sea, Blixaea quinquecornis (Abé) Gottschling, were studied. The highest abundances of the species were recorded in Mamaia Bay (Romania) at 1.02×106 cells L-1 and Varna Bay (Bulgaria) at 3.49×105 cells L-1. Regional statistical analysis revealed that while water temperature was the primary driver of blooms in the western Black Sea (Bulgaria and Romania), nutrient enrichment, particularly total phosphorus, played a more critical role in the eutrophic Odesa Bay. Morphological and molecular studies of the Black Sea specimens were conducted for the first time utilizing light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and metabarcoding based on the V7–V9 variable region of the 18S rDNA. Two distinct morphotypes were identified: one with angular, compressed cells bearing four antapical spines, and another with relatively oval cells featuring two, three, or occasionally five widely spaced antapical spines. Comparison of the Black Sea B. quinquecornis specimens with those from other regions of the world's oceans revealed geographical variability. Additionally, a new intraspecific combination, Blixaea quinquecornis var. trispinifera, is proposed. Keywords : Dinoflagellates, Blixaea quinquecornis, Black Sea, Geographical variability, Alien species