Revisiting the taxonomy of the Dinophysis acuminata complex (Dinophyta)'

Marine dinoflagellates of the genus Dinophysis are well known for producing diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) toxins and/or pectenotoxins which have a significant impact on public health as well as on marine aquaculture. Out of more than 80 Dinophysis species recorded so far, D. cf. acuminate is the most commonly observed in coastal areas worldwide. Due to their highly similar morphological features, however, an accurate discrimination of the various D. cf. acuminate species such as D. acuminate, D. ovum, and D. sacculus under light microscopy has proven to be a difficult task to accomplish. Hence, these species have thus far been referred to as the Dinophysis acuminate complex. Recent studies showed a discrimination between local strains of D. acuminate and D. ovum from Galician, northwestern Spain, using the mitochondrial coxi gene as a genetic marker in addition to commonly used morphological features such as size and contour of the large hypothecal plates, shape of the small cells formed as part of their polymorphic life-cycle, development of the left sulcal list and ribs, and length of the right sulcal list. In the present study, attempts were made to discriminate between D. acuminate and D. ovum following single-cell isolation of 54 D. acuminate complex collected from Korean coastal waters, based on the abovementioned traits. Morphological data showed that all the traits analyzed overlapped between the two species. The mitochondrial cox1 (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) gene sequences of every isolate were also determined, but a genetic distinction between D. acuminate and D. ovum could not be confirmed, suggesting that the coxi gene is not a suitable genetic marker for discrimination between the two species. The results of this study suggest that the morphological variations observed within the D. acuminate complex may have been caused by several factors (e.g. different geographical locations, seasonal changes, and different environmental conditions), and that D. acuminate and D. ovum may be the same species.