The Noctilucales are an order of marine . They differ from most others in that the mature cell is diploid and its cell nucleus does not show a dinokaryon. They show gametic meiosis.
Characteristics
These cells are very large, from 0.2 to 2 millimetres in diameter, and are filled with large buoyant
. Some may contain symbiotic
, but there are no
. Instead, they feed on other
plankton, and there is usually a special flagellum involved in ingestion.
Noctilucales reproduce mainly by fission, but sexual reproduction also occurs. Each cell produces numerous gametes, which resemble more typical athecate dinoflagellates and have the dinokaryotic nuclei. Evidence suggests that they diverged from most other dinoflagellates early on, and they are generally placed in their own class.
Taxonomy
-
Class Noctiluciphyceae Fensome et al. 1993 Noctilucae
-
Order Noctilucales Haeckel 1894
Examples
The most common species is
Noctiluca scintillans, also called
N. miliaris. Blooms of this species are red-orange and can be
bioluminescence when disturbed,
[
] as are various other dinoflagellates, and large blooms can sometimes be seen as flickering lights on the ocean, known as the milky seas effect.
Another example is Spatulodinium pseudonoctiluca.[
]
Further reading
External links
