A TAXONOMIC REVISION OF THE DIPLOPSALIS GROUP (DINOPHYCEAE)

A revision of the Diplopsalis group of dinoflagellates, belonging to the family Diplopsalidaceae of the order Peridiniales (Dinophyceae), has been based on new observations of material from the North Sea, E. Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Japan Sea, and Antarctic Ocean examined by light and scanning electron microscopy. Characteristics which are useful in defining genera and species are enumerated. Including previously described species, eight genera and twenty-five species are recognized in the group. The genera described are: Boreadinium, Diplopsalis, Diplopsalopsis, Dissodium, Gotoius, Lebouraia, Oblea, and Zygabikodinium. Five new combinations are proposed: Diplopsalis bomba, D. ovata, D. pinguii, Gotoius ostenfeldii, and Lebouria pusilla. A simple key to the genera is included.