Characterization of a Karenia papilionacea-like dinoflagellate from the South China Sea

The morphological characteristics of a new isolate of a dorso-ventrally flattened athecate dinoflagellate obtained from Hong Kong (HK) waters is described. Partial sequences of the large subunit ribosomal RNA gene were obtained and a high degree of similarity was observed with various species within the genus Karenia. Phylogenetic comparison suggested the Karenia sp. HK forms a clade with the newly described species K. papffionacea from New Zealand but not with authentic K brevis from North America. Karenia sp. HK is the first K. brevis-like dinoflagellate characterized by molecular cladistics from the South China Sea and the results call for re-examination of the status of other K brevis-like morphotypes described from the region