Noctiluca scintillans
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
| domain | Eukaryota | Noctiluca scintillans, known as the sea sparkle, synonym N. miliaris, is a marine dinoflagellate that exhibits bioluminescence when disturbed. Red or green glow is produced by spherical organelles called scintillons. This protist engulfs food such as plankton, diatoms, dinoflagellates, fish eggs, and bacteria. Phytoplankton are an influence on the distribution of N. scintillans throughout the world. Mucus on a tentacle that projects posteriorly adheres to plankton. Change in buoyancy is used for movement in the water column rather than the flagellum held in a ventral groove. The blooms are not toxic.
For more information, visit the Wikipedia entry. Get back to Protista |
| kingdom | Protista | |
| supergroup | Sar: Alveolata | |
| phylum | Dinoflagellata | |
| class | Dinophyceae | |
| order | Noctilucales | |
| family | Noctilucaceae | |
| genus | Noctiluca | |
| species | N. scintillans |
