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Name derivation:

 

Classification:

Chattonella  B.Biecheler  1936;  3 of 13 species descriptions are currently accepted taxonomically (Guiry and guiry 2013).

Order Chattonellales;  Family Chattonellaceae

Morphology:

Biflagellate unicells with numerous chloroplasts, dark golden to brown. Much variation in size and shape, from nearly circular to ellipsoidal, occasionally with a tail. Some have pyrenoids, cysts, and/or mucocysts. Chattonella is in the "golden-brown" line of raphids.

Similar genera:

See online pdf by Carmelo Tomas, University of North Carolina at Wilmington NC USA

 

Habitat:

Coastal marine; associated with red tides.

Toxicity:

At least eight species of Chattonella are on the HABs Taxon list.

C. ovata is toxic to many fish, causing gill edema, possibly because it produces hydrogen peroxide and superoxide (Hiroishi et al. 2004).

 

References:

Graham L. and Wilcox L. 2000. Algae. Prentice-Hall .

Guiry, M.D. and G.M. Guiry  2013.  AlgaeBase. World-wide electronic publication, National University of Ireland, Galway.  http://www.algaebase.org; searched on 10 September 2013.

Hiroishi, S., Okada, H., Imai, I, and Yoshida, T. 2004. High toxicity of the novel bloom-forming species Chattonella ovata (Raphidophyceae) to cultured fish. Harmful Algae 4: 783-787.