Alloxanthin in Dinophysis norvegica (Dinophysiales, Dinophyceae) from the Baltic Sea

The pigment composition of Dinophysis norvegica Ehrenberg from the central Baltic Sea differs from the normal pigment pattern found in dinoflagellates, which contain peridinin as a typical market pigment. In D. norvegica isolated by cell fractionation of field samples, the major carotenoid was alloxanthin, a typical cryptomonad pigment. No evidence was found that the presence of alloxanthin was due to a recent phagotrophic uptake of cryptomonads, so the presence of alloxanthin in D. norvegica may be a consistent feature of a permanent endosymbiosis.